https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2011-20098-y
Regular Article
Designing spin-spin interactions with one and two dimensional ion crystals in planar micro traps
1
Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz, Institut für
Physik, QUANTUM,
55128
Mainz,
Germany
2
Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology,
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’er
Sheva
84105,
Israel
3
Universität Siegen, Quantenoptik, 57068
Siegen,
Germany
4
Department of Physics, Ben-Gurion University of the
Negev, Be’er
Sheva
84105,
Israel
a e-mail: welzel@uni-mainz.de
Received:
8
February
2011
Received in final form:
20
May
2011
Published online:
27
July
2011
We discuss the experimental feasibility of quantum simulation with trapped ion crystals, using magnetic field gradients. We describe a micro structured planar ion trap, which contains a central wire loop generating a strong magnetic gradient of about 20 T/m in an ion crystal held about 160 μm above the surface. On the theoretical side, we extend a proposal about spin-spin interactions via magnetic gradient induced coupling (MAGIC) [J. Phys. B At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 42, 154009 (2009)]. We describe aspects where planar ion traps promise novel physics: spin-spin coupling strengths of transversal eigenmodes exhibit significant advantages over the coupling schemes in longitudinal direction that have been previously investigated. With a chip device and a magnetic field coil with small inductance, a resonant enhancement of magnetic spin forces through the application of alternating magnetic field gradients is proposed. Such resonantly enhanced spin-spin coupling may be used, for instance, to create Schrödinger cat states. Finally we investigate magnetic gradient interactions in two-dimensional ion crystals, and discuss frustration effects in such two-dimensional arrangements.
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag 2011
