The Atomic, Molecular and Optical (AMO) and Condensed Matter (CM) physics groups are hosting a joint seminar as part of the Center for Quantum Research and Technology (CQRT). This endowed seminar series brings in experts from across the country as well as across campus to discuss the latest in research advances in quantum science.
Seminars are scheduled for 2:00-3:00 pm on Tuesdays and/or Fridays, and are held in-person in Lin Hall 105, depending upon speaker availability and preference. Please check this web page or the email announcements for the current week's talks. By attending the seminar, either in person or on Zoom, you are agreeing to abide by our departmental code of conduct.
To get on the seminar mailing list, please contact the seminar organizers, Prof. Kieran Mullen.
Title: Quantum simulation with trapped ions and Rydberg atoms
Ilango Maran, University of Amsterdam
Thursday, June 11, 2026
2:00-3:00pm, 105 Lin Hall
Abstract: Recently, a new type of a long-range molecule consisting of an ion and a Rydberg atom popularly known as Rydberg atom-ion molecules (RAIMs) has been theoretically proposed and experimentally observed in an ultracold cloud of 87Rb atoms. We use a hybrid atom-ion system to create a linear crystal of ions in a Paul trap with RAIMs attached to its either ends to generate Rydberg-Rydberg interactions through the crystal’s collective motional modes. We also use detailed Floquet analysis to demonstrate the feasibility of our scheme in the presence of the time dependent rf potential of the Paul trap. In the second part of the talk, I will discuss atomic structure calculations that I performed using the AMBiT package. With it, we identify previously unexplored metastable states in Yb+. One of these states, 3[3/2]5/2 is particularly interesting for electron shelving and can be used for high fidelity qubit and qudit state detection. Finally, I compare my calculations to preliminary experimental results.
