Transcript Topological Insulators

A Plan for Hybrid
Entanglement
Christopher Monroe and Edo Waks
Quantum entanglement, a condition in which the
states of two different objects become so
inextricably linked that neither can be described
separately, is an essential element of any future
quantum computer. Scientists have succeeded in
entangling many sorts of entities, typically identical
atom or photon systems. But it has never been
accomplished between an atomic system and a
solid-state system such as a quantum dot in a
semiconductor microcavity.
Now two researchers have devised an experiment
in which the quantum state of a single trapped
atom will be entangled with that of a quantum dot
through the intervention of a laser beam that serves
as an interface between the two. This is a difficult
challenge, because each object radiates light of
substantially different characteristics.
Such a hybrid entanglement would be able to
exploit the particular advantages of each
component: Atoms can sustain delicate quantum
states for a very long time, whereas quantum dots
can interact rapidly and strongly with light.
“Protocol for Hybrid Entanglement Between a Trapped Atom and a
Semiconductor Quantum Dot,” Edo Waks and Christopher Monroe,
Phys. Rev. A 80, 062330 (2009)