RUI: Modeling Ultra-cold Atoms in Optical Lattices as Analogs of Condensed-Matter Systems

This research project is a theoretical study of the methodology by which a system of ultra-cold atomic gas confined in the double-well optical lattice and implemented in a laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) can be used as a two-qubit quantum gate. Quantum gates form a necessary component of a quantum computer. The speed, fidelity, and robustness of this gate will be investigated in collaboration with NIST experimentalists. The implementation of a working two-qubit phase gate will be another step toward the development of a practical quantum-computational device which would have major implications for internet and homeland security. The research program will advance discovery while promoting learning by involving undergraduate physics majors at Georgia Southern University in the research effort and by enabling these undergraduate to present the results of their research at national physics conferences. Broad dissemination to enhance scientific and technological understanding will be accomplished by organizing a Distinguished Lecture Series on the campus at Georgia Southern University.