InAs/InP multiwavelength quantum dash lasers are promising solutions to rising data loads in our telecommunications systems, as one laser chip can replace many lasers operating at a single wavelength. Quantum dashes are quasi-one-dimensional nanoparticles that offer equal or increased performance as laser gain media when compared to equivalent quantum well devices. InAs/InP quantum dashes are ideal for laser devices emitting in the C-band region, centred around 1550 nm. The quantum dashes in this thesis are epitaxially grown via the self assembled Stranski-Krastanow mode. Characterizing how structure and composition of these quantum dashes affect the energy level spacing and emission wavelengths is crucial for designing better performing telecommunications lasers. In this thesis a method for determining the average heights and widths of these nanoparticles from atomic force microscopy measurements of uncapped InAs/InGaAsP/InP quantum dashes is developed. Single quantum dash simulations are built in Crosslight Photonic Integrated Circuit Simulator (PICS3D) with the lowest energy transition tuned to photoluminescence peak wavelengths provided by National Research Council Canada. These simulations are used to determine the impact of quantum dash dimensions, compositions, and heterostructure changes to the overlap integrals and emission energies. Phosphorus concentration within the quantum dash and wetting layer can modify the predicted emission wavelength by ∼200 nm, and increasing quantum dash lengths beyond 200 nm has negligible effect on emission energy and energy level spacing. The sublayer thickness is increased from 0.1 to 1 nm, and shows that emission energy will increase for GaP sublayers and decrease for GaAs sublayers by up to 30 meV. The role of the wetting layer on energy level spacing is discussed and determined to increase the emission energy by ∼15 meV when the 0.5 nm wetting layer is removed for a 2 nm quantum dash. The role of As/P intermixing is investigated in three ways: by incorporating phosphorus concentration in (1) the quantum dash and wetting layer, (2) the wetting layer, and (3) the lower portion of the quantum dash without a wetting layer. There is negligible change in the overlap integral for these three cases with all other variables held constant, and the trends between each case remain the same. Further experimental analysis of buried InAs quantum dashes is recommended for compositional information. The implementation of variable strain profiles in this model is also recommended, in addition to developing vertically coupled quantum dash simulations. Finally, performing these simulations at varying temperatures will better represent the operating conditions of quantum dash lasers.

<p dir="ltr">This thesis explores the intersection of quantum interference, entanglement, and quantum algorithms in the context of chemical reactions. The initial exploration delves into the constructive quantum interference in the photoassociation reaction of a 87Rb Bose Einstein condensate (BEC), where a coherent superposition of multiple bare spin states is achieved and it’s impact on photo-association (PA) was studied. Employing a quantum processor, the study illustrates that interferences can function as a resource for coherent control in photochemical reactions, presenting a universally applicable framework relevant to a spectrum of ultracold chemical reactions. The subsequent inquiry scrutinizes the entanglement dynamics between the spin and momentum degrees of freedom in an optically confined BEC of 87Rb atoms, induced by Raman and RF fields. Significantly, this study unveils substantial spin momentum entanglement under specific experimental conditions, indicating potential applications in the realm of quantum information processing. Finally, the third study advances a quantum algorithm for the computation of scattering matrix elements in chemical reactions, adeptly navigating the complexities of quantum interactions. This algorithm, rooted in the time-dependent method and Möller operator formulation, is applied to scenarios such as 1D semi-infinite square well potentials and co-linear hydrogen exchange reactions, showcasing its potential to enhance our comprehension of intricate quantum interactions within chemical systems.</p>

Analogue quantum simulators have proven to be an extremely versatile tool for the study of strongly-correlated condensed matter systems both near and far from equilibrium. An enticing prospect is the quantum simulation of non- Fermi liquids which lack a quasiparticle description and feature prominently in the study of strange metals, fast scrambling of quantum information, as well as holographic quantum matter. Yet, large-scale laboratory realisations of such systems remain outstanding. In this thesis, we present a proposal for the analogue quantum simulation of one such system, the Sachdev–Ye–Kitaev (SYK) model, using cavity quantum electrodynamics (cQED). We discuss recent experimental advances in this pursuit, and perform analysis of this and related models. Through a combination of analytic calculations and numeric simulations, we show how driving a cloud of fermionic atoms trapped in a multi- mode optical cavity, and subjecting it to a spatially disordered AC-Stark shift, can realise an effective model which retrieves the physics of the SYK model, with random all-to-all interactions and fast scrambling. Working towards the SYK model, we present results from a recent proof-of-principle cQED experiment which implemented the disordered light-shift technique to quantum simulate all- to-all interacting spin models with quenched disorder. In this context, we show analytically how disorder-driven localisation can be extracted from spectroscopic probes employed in cQED experiments, despite their lack of spatially resolved information. Further, we numerically investigate the post-quench dynamics of the SYK model, finding a universal, super-exponential equilibration in the disorder-averaged far-from-equilibrium dynamics. These are reproduced analytically through an effective master equation. Our work demonstrates the increasing capabilities of cQED quantum simulators, highlighting how these may be used to study the fascinating physics of holographic quantum matter and other disorder models in the lab.

The physics of ultracold atomic gases has been the subject of a long standing theoretical and experimental research over the last half century. The development of evaporative cooling techniques and the realization of the first Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC) in 1995 gave a great advantage to the field. A great experimental knowledge of the fundamental properties of BECs, such as long-range coherence, superfluidity and topological excitations, has now been acquired. On top of these advances, current research on ultracold atoms is also focusing on quantum simulations, which aim at building analogue models of otherwise difficult to compute physical systems in the lab. In this context, BECs, with their enhanced coherence, many-body dynamics and superfluid character offer a powerful platform for advances in the field. Shortly after the first realization of a BEC, research started also investigating the physics of quantum mixtures of a BECs, either composed of different atomic species or isotopes, or of atoms occupying different hyperfine states. The latter are known as spin mixtures, or spinor condensates. The presence of multiple components interacting through mutual contact interactions enriches the physics of the condensate, introducing ground states with magnetic ordering as well as spin dynamics, which can be order of magnitudes less energetic than the density one. On top of this, hyperfine states can be coherently coupled with an external resonant radiation. Interesting physics arises when the strength of the coupling is comparable with the energy of spin excitations, an example of which is given by the emergence of the internal Josephson effect. This regime has been the subject of intense theoretical studies in the past twenty years, however its experimental realization on ultracold atomic platforms have been proven to be challenging, with experiments strongly limited by coherence times of few tens of milliseconds. In fact, the small energy scale of spin excitations reflects in a high sensitivity coupling to environmental magnetic noise, which affects the resonant condition. The experimental apparatus on which I worked during my Ph.D. solve this problem employing a magnetic shield that surrounds the science chamber, attenuating external magnetic fields by 6 orders of magnitudes. During my Ph.D., I investigated the properties of a coherently coupled mixture of BEC of Sodium 23, performing different experiments in two atomic configurations. The first configuration consist of a mixture of hyperfine states, namely the |F=1, mF = -1&gt; and |F=1, mF = +1&gt;, coupled by a two-photon transition, which is characterized by miscibility in the ground state. Another configuration was instead realized working with a strongly immiscible mixture of |F=1, mF=-1&gt; and |F=2, mF = -2&gt;, realized through with a one photon transition. My first experiment was devoted to the characterization of different methods of manipulation of the coupled miscible mixture in an elongated quasi-1D geometry. In Local Density Approximation (LDA), The dynamics of the system, depends on the atom number difference, the relative phase, and coupling to mean field energy ratio, can be fully described as an internal Josephson junction. We characterized this dynamics on a sample an inhomogeneous spatial profile, developing three different protocols for state manipulations. In a second experiment, I developed a protocol to generate Faraday waves in an unpolarized miscible mixture. Faraday waves are classical non-linear waves characterized by a regular pattern, that originate in classical and quantum fluids via a parametric excitation in the fluid. Interestingly enough, this process resembles the phase of reheating of the early universe, where the oscillation of the inflaton field is thought to have excited particles out of the vacuum. In analogy with this phenomenon, the oscillation of the inflaton field can be simulated with the periodic modulation of the trapping potential. On top of this, in a spin mixture, the parametric modulation can excite either in-phase (density) modes or out-of-phase (spin) modes, as two possible elementary excitations are present in the system. By extracting the spatial periodicity of the generated pattern at different modulation frequencies, I was then able to measure the dispersion relations for both density and spin modes of the system. In the presence of the coherent coupling, when spin excitations becomes gapped, we further demonstrate the scaling of the gap with the strength of the coupling radiation. The third experiment I realized concerned the characterization of the magnetic ground state of a spatially extended immiscible mixture in the presence of the coherent coupling. The Hamiltonian of such a system is formally equivalent to a continuous version of the transverse field Ising model, which describes magnetic materials at zero temperature. In this mapping, a nonlinear interaction term arises from the ratio between the self-interaction energy and the strength of the coupling, which acts as the transverse field. As the ratio between the two quantities is varied above and below one, the ground state of the system spontaneously changes from a paramagnetic phase to an ordered ferromagnetic phase, featuring two equivalent and opposite magnetizations, a signature of the occurrence of a second order quantum phase transition (QPT). Furthermore, in the magnetic model, the degeneracy between the two ferromagnetic ground states can be broken by introducing an additional longitudinal field. In the atomic case, the role of this additional field is taken by the detuning between the coupling radiation and the resonant transition frequency of non-interacting atoms. I characterized the QPT developing protocols to manipulate the spin mixture in its spatially extended ground state, varying the longitudinal field. Leveraging on the inhomogeneity of a BEC trapped in the harmonic potential, a smooth variation of the spin self-interaction energy occurs spontaneously in space, introducing different magnetic regimes at fixed coupling strength. These protocols gave access to a characterization of static properties typical of magnetic materials, such as the presence of an hysteresis cycle. The occurrence of the phase transition was instead validated by a measurement of the magnetic susceptibility and corresponding fluctuations, which both show a divergence when crossing the QPT critical point. At last, I developed a protocol to smoothly manipulate the position of magnetic domain walls, the least energetic excitations in a ferromagnet. While the previous study focused on static properties, the last experimental investigation presented in this thesis was devoted to the study of the dynamics of the metastable ferromagnetic region of the BEC. As a result of the presence of an hysteresis cycle, it is possible to engineer states of the ferromagnetic energy landscape that are homogeneously prepared either in the global minimum, with trivial dynamics, or in the metastable, higher energy, local minima. In the latter case, a classical system should eventually decay towards the global minimum, driven by temperature fluctuations which overtop the energy barrier separating the two minima. For a quantum system described by a field theory, such as a ferromagnetic BEC, the decay towards the global minimum occurs by tunneling through the barrier, triggered by quantum fluctuations. The event of tunneling is known as False Vacuum Decay (FVD), and is of outstanding relevance also for high energy physics and cosmology, were the first theoretical models were developed. In the FVD model, the decay towards the global minimum, the true vacuum, is a stochastic process that occurs only if a resonant bubble of true vacuum is formed. Once formed, the bubble will eventually expand throughout the whole system, as the true vacuum is energetically favorable. The probability for such a bubble to form can be approximately calculated analytically in 1D, and should depend exponentially on the height of the barrier the field has to tunnel through. Due to the exponentially long time scale of the process, experimental observations of FVD were still lacking. Thanks to the enhanced coherence time of the superfluid ferromagnetic mixture, and to the precise control of the barrier height through the detuning from atomic resonance, we were able to observe the event of bubble nucleation in a ferromagnetic BEC. To corroborate the observation, I measured the characteristic timescale of the decay for different values of the control parameters. Results were successfully compared first with numerical simulation, and then validated by instanton theory.

Neste trabalho apresentamos um protocolo para simular, no contexto da eletrodinâmica quântica de cavidades, a equação de Dirac 2+1 D e 1+1 D para uma partícula relativística livre, de spin &frac12;. Especificamente, tratamos dois sistemas distintos: no primeiro consideramos um átomo de quatro níveis interagindo com dois modos da cavidade e quatro campos clássicos; no segundo, consideramos um átomo de três níveis interagindo com um modo da cavidade e dois campos clássicos. O primeiro sistema foi utilizado para simular a equação de Dirac 2+1 D. Através do segundo sistema mostramos como simular a equação de Dirac 1+1 D. Com esse sistema mostramos como manipular e controlar por meio das forças de acoplamentos dos campos, os valores da velocidade da luz e a energia de repouso da partícula relativística livre de Dirac simulada. Verificamos que a dinâmica de um elétron no formalismo da mecânica quântica relativística pode ser simulada usando experimentos em Eletrodinâmica Quântica de Cavidades. Neste contexto, analisamos o movimento oscilatório inesperado de uma partícula quântica relativística livre conhecido como Zitterbewegung. / In this work we present, in the context of cavity quantum electrodynamics, a protocol for simulating Dirac equation 2+1 and 1+1 for a relativistic free particle with spin &frac12;. Specifically, we deal with two different systems: In the first one we consider a four level atom interacting with two modes of the cavity and four classical fields; In the second system we deal consider a three level atom and interacting with one mode of the cavity and two classical fields. The first system was used to simulate a 2+1 D Dirac equation. With the second system we show how to simulate a 1+1D Dirac equation. With these systems we show how to simulate and control through the field coupling strength, the values of the velocity of light and rest energy of the simulated Dirac´s relativistic free particle. We verify that the dynamics of one electron in the formalism of relativistic quantum mechanics can be simulated using experiments in cavity quantum electrodynamics. In this context, we analyzed the unexpected but known oscillatory movement of a relativistic free quantum particle.

Neste trabalho apresentamos um protocolo para simular, no contexto da eletrodinâmica quântica de cavidades, a equação de Dirac 2+1 D e 1+1 D para uma partícula relativística livre, de spin &frac12;. Especificamente, tratamos dois sistemas distintos: no primeiro consideramos um átomo de quatro níveis interagindo com dois modos da cavidade e quatro campos clássicos; no segundo, consideramos um átomo de três níveis interagindo com um modo da cavidade e dois campos clássicos. O primeiro sistema foi utilizado para simular a equação de Dirac 2+1 D. Através do segundo sistema mostramos como simular a equação de Dirac 1+1 D. Com esse sistema mostramos como manipular e controlar por meio das forças de acoplamentos dos campos, os valores da velocidade da luz e a energia de repouso da partícula relativística livre de Dirac simulada. Verificamos que a dinâmica de um elétron no formalismo da mecânica quântica relativística pode ser simulada usando experimentos em Eletrodinâmica Quântica de Cavidades. Neste contexto, analisamos o movimento oscilatório inesperado de uma partícula quântica relativística livre conhecido como Zitterbewegung. / In this work we present, in the context of cavity quantum electrodynamics, a protocol for simulating Dirac equation 2+1 and 1+1 for a relativistic free particle with spin &frac12;. Specifically, we deal with two different systems: In the first one we consider a four level atom interacting with two modes of the cavity and four classical fields; In the second system we deal consider a three level atom and interacting with one mode of the cavity and two classical fields. The first system was used to simulate a 2+1 D Dirac equation. With the second system we show how to simulate a 1+1D Dirac equation. With these systems we show how to simulate and control through the field coupling strength, the values of the velocity of light and rest energy of the simulated Dirac´s relativistic free particle. We verify that the dynamics of one electron in the formalism of relativistic quantum mechanics can be simulated using experiments in cavity quantum electrodynamics. In this context, we analyzed the unexpected but known oscillatory movement of a relativistic free quantum particle.

The objective of this research is to design, fabricate, and demonstrate a microfabricated monolithic ion trap for applications in quantum computation and quantum simulation. Most current microfabricated ion trap designs are based on planar-segmented surface electrodes. Although promising scalability to trap arrays containing ten to one hundred ions, these planar designs suffer from the challenges of shallow trap depths, radial asymmetry of the confining potential, and electrode charging resulting from laser interactions with dielectric surfaces. In this research, the design, fabrication, and testing of a monolithic and symmetric two-level ion trap is presented. This ion trap overcomes the challenges of surface-electrode ion traps. Numerical electrostatic simulations show that this symmetric trap produces a deep (1 eV for 171Yb+ ion), radially symmetric RF confinement potential. The trap has an angled through-chip slot that allows back-side ion loading and generous through laser access, while avoiding surface-light scattering and dielectric charging that can corrupt the design control electrode compensating potentials. The geometry of the trap and its dimensions are optimized for trapping long and linear ion chains with equal spacing for use with quantum simulation problems and quantum computation architectures.

This dissertation presents the implementation of a technique to generate atomic Fock states of Lithium 6 with ultra-high fidelity, called laser culling. Fock states, atomic states with a definite number of particles, are a mandatory step for studying few-body quantum phenomena such as quantum tunneling, quantum entanglement, and serve as building blocks for quantum simulators. The creation of ultra-high fidelity Fock states begins with a degenerate Fermi gas in an optical dipole trap. Being fermions, lithium-6 atoms fill the energy levels of the dipole trap with 2 atoms per energy level. Introducing a magnetic field gradient creates a linear potential that tilts the potential produced by the optical dipole trap. The initially bound energy levels become quasi-bound states, each with a different lifetime. By exploiting the difference between these lifetimes, one can generate a single pair of atoms in the ground state of the trap with fidelities that can exceed 99.9%. This dissertation first presents the details of the design and construction of an apparatus for laser culling, and then reports on the progress made towards the creation of atomic Fock states with ultra-high fidelity. / text

La simulation quantique offre un moyen très prometteur pour comprendre les systèmes quantiques corrélés macroscopiques. De nombreuses plateformes expérimentales sont en cours d'élaboration. Les atomes de Rydberg sont particulièrement intéressants grâce à leur forte interaction dipolaire de cours portée. Dans notre manip, nous préparons et manipulons des ensembles d'atomes de Rydberg excités à partir d'un nuage atomique ultra-froid piégé magnétiquement sur une puce à atome supraconductrice. La dynamique de l'excitation est contrôlée par le processus d'excitation du laser. Le spectre d'énergie d'interaction atomique des N corps est mesuré directment par spectroscopie micro-onde. Dans cette thèse, nous développons un modèle Monte Carlo rigoureux qui nous éclaire sur le processus d'excitation. En utilisant ce modèle, nous discutons de la possibilité de réaliser des simulations quantiques du transport d'énergie sur une chaîne 1D d'atomes de Rydberg de faible moment angulaire. De plus, nous proposons une plateforme innovante pour la réalisation de simulations quantiques. Elle repose sur une approche révolutionnaire basée sur un ensemble d'atomes de Rydberg dont le temps de vie est extrêmement long, qui interagissent fortement et qui sont piégés par laser. Nous présentons les résultats de simulations numériques et nous discutons du large éventail de problèmes qui peuvent être traités avec le modèle proposé. / Quantum simulation offers a highly promising way to understand large correlated quantum systems, and many experimental platforms are now being developed. Rydberg atoms are especially appealing thanks to their strong and short-range dipole-dipole interaction. In our setup, we prepare and manipulate ensembles of Rydberg atoms excited from an ultracold atomic cloud magnetically trapped above a superconducting chip. The dynamics of the Rydberg excitation can be controlled through the laser excitation process. The many-body atomic interaction energy spectrum is then directly measured through microwave spectroscopy. This thesis develops a rigorous Monte Carlo model that provides an insight into the excitation process. Using this model, we discuss a possibility to explore quantum simulations of energy transport in a 1D chain of low angular momentum Rydberg atoms. Furthermore, we propose an innovative platform for quantum simulations. It relies on a groundbreaking approach, based on laser-trapped ensemble of extremely long-lived, strongly interacting circular Rydberg atoms. We present intensive numerical results as well as discuss a wide range of problems that can be addressed with the proposed model.

Models of quantum walks which admit continuous time and continuous spacetime limits have recently led to quantum simulation schemes for simulating fermions in relativistic and non relativistic regimes (Di Molfetta and Arrighi, 2020). This work continues the study of relationships between discrete time quantum walks (DTQW) and their ostensive continuum counterparts by developing a more general framework than was done in (Di Molfetta and Arrighi, 2020) to evaluate the continuous time limit of these discrete quantum systems. Under this framework, we prove two constructive theorems concerning which internal discrete transitions ("coins") admit nontrivial continuum limits in 1D+1. We additionally prove that the continuous space limit of the continuous time limit of the DTQW can only yield massless states which obey the Dirac equation. We also demonstrate that for general coins the continuous time limit of the DTQW can be identified with the canonical continuous time quantum walk (CTQW) when the coin is allowed to transition through the continuum limit process. Finally, we introduce the Plastic Quantum Walk, or a quantum walk which admits both continuous time and continuous spacetime limits and, as a novel result, we use our 1D+1 results to obtain necessary and sufficient conditions concerning which DTQWs admit plasticity in 2D+1, showing the resulting Hamiltonians. We consider coin operators as general 4 parameter unitary matrices, with parameters which are functions of the lattice step size 𝜖. This dependence on 𝜖 encapsulates all functions of 𝜖 for which a Taylor series expansion in 𝜖 is well defined, making our results very general.