RUI Collaboration: Modeling Quantum Logic Operations with Ultra-cold Atoms in Optical Lattices

This theoretical research program, to be performed by researchers at Georgia

Southern University in collaboration with researchers at the University of Maryland at College Park (UMCP), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, will study ways in which ultra-cold atoms, manipulated by lasers and magnetic fields, can operate as a 'quantum computer'. The dynamics of mixtures of ultra-cold atoms, in states known as Bose-Einstein condensates - states where the matter-wave shapes of a large collection of atoms are all the same - will be studied.

The project will enhance the infrastructure for research and education by maintaining an established collaboration among a U.S. undergraduate institution (GA Southern), a national laboratory (NIST), and an international partner (Sheffield). Broad dissemination to enhance scientific and technological understanding will be accomplished by organizing a Distinguished Lecture Series on the campus at Georgia Southern University. Finally, modeling the entire process of implementing a quantum circuit on an experimentally realized optical lattice system represents a significant step toward the development of a practical quantum?computational device. Such a device would have major societal benefits in the areas of internet and homeland security.