Heralded entanglement of two ions in an optical cavity
Prof. Dr. Tracy Northup (Institut für Experimentalphysik Universität Innsbruck)

In classical computing networks, optical fibers link together remote processors, often over long distances. For quantum computers, such networks would enable not only distributed computing but also cryptography and fundamental tests of quantum physics. However, it is challenging to construct an interface between light and matter that preserves quantum information.

Ions trapped in optical cavities offer one route toward a quantum light-matter interface. I will present the entanglement of two ions coupled to a cavity, heralded by the detection of photons at the cavity output. Such entanglement could provide a robust link between remote ion-based quantum computers. Within a single cavity, ion-ion entanglement could enable enhanced quantum memories and the generation of photonic cluster states, both of which represent goals of our current research efforts.