Montana State physicist Matt Jaffe will receive $150,000 in research funding each year for three years from the Air Force’s Young Investigator Program to explore novel approaches to quantum computing and sensing. Jaffe, an assistant professor in MSU’s Department of Physics, is focusing on manipulating light within optical cavities, devices where light bounces between mirrors, by altering the placement of mirrors and lenses inside.

This allows his group to move beyond typical laser beams and create flattened beams for more precise control of atoms. “It turns out that just using the regular kind of lenses and mirrors doesn’t do it,” Jaffe said, explaining his team’s method for designing cavities that host unconventional beam shapes to facilitate innovative quantum applications.

Optical Cavity Design for Enhanced Atom-Photon Interaction

This advanced design stems from initial work on quantum computing, where stronger interactions between atoms and photons are crucial for transmitting quantum information. Specifically, Jaffe’s research aims to transfer qubits, the fundamental units of quantum data, stored within single atoms onto single photons for efficient transmission. “In order to wire arrays of neutral atom qubits up to each other, we’d like to write their quantum information out using photons, which can travel through optical fibers,” Jaffe said, outlining a path toward scalable quantum processors.

Beyond quantum computing, the refined cavity designs also promise advancements in precision sensing, particularly in measuring gravity. The technique involves building up light within the cavity to reliably control an atom, then splitting, redirecting, and recombining it through atom interferometry.

Jaffe notes that the initial foray into complex optical cavity design for quantum computing unexpectedly broadened the scope of their research. “Once we opened that door, we realized there are all kinds of degrees of freedom we can explore for designing these cavities to get new types of light-matter interactions, so new ways of interfacing atoms and photons.”

The quantum computing project dipped our toe into more complex optical cavity design to get new and useful performance – in this case, stronger interactions between an atom and a photon.
Matt Jaffe, assistant professor in MSU’s Department of Physics

Entanglement Distribution via Photons for Scalable Quantum Computing

This support enables Jaffe and his team to investigate how manipulating light within these cavities can improve the transfer of quantum information, specifically focusing on entanglement distribution, a critical challenge in scaling quantum computing. The team aims to harness these manipulated beams to transfer qubits stored within single atoms into photons, potentially forming a larger quantum processor from an array of submodules. Because atoms respond to gravity, this process offers a new method for highly accurate gravity measurements.

This prestigious award recognizes Matt as an outstanding researcher and mentor in an area of science that is of fundamental and strategic importance.
John Neumeier, head of the physics department

Source: https://www.montana.edu/news/25508/montana-state-physicist-wins-air-force-young-investigator-award

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