3:45–5:00 pm
GCIS W301/303 929 E. 57th St
Speaker: Prof. Cindy Regal, Dept. of Physics, JILA & Colorado University Boulder
Host: Asst. Prof. Zoe Yan, Dept. of Physics (zzyan@uchicago.edu)
A motional Kerr-cat qubit in an optical tweezer
Schrödinger cat states encode quantum information in a superposition of classically distinct states, enabling hardware-efficient error correction and enhanced measurement sensitivity. I will discuss recent experiments in which we generate motional cat states of a single neutral atom by leveraging the tunable Kerr nonlinearity of a shallow optical tweezer. We demonstrate spin-independent state preparation and parity rotations via modulation of the confining potential, making the approach broadly applicable across atomic and molecular species. Our results establish programmable control of individual optical tweezers as a resource for non-gaussian quantum state synthesis within the motional oscillator space.
About the JFI Colloquium: The James Franck Institute Colloquium is a monthly event inviting distinguished scholars from research institutions around the globe to share creative, groundbreaking research at the intersection of chemistry, physics, and materials science. As an interdisciplinary institution, the JFI welcomes researchers and students from a wide variety of scientific disciplines to attend and partake in lively discussion. Colloquium speakers are nominated by JFI faculty and selected annually by the colloquium committee. Find the full calendar on the JFI website.