Ion Quantum Technology Group
Macroscopic ion trap
Ytterbium ion trap experiment
First generation ion trap chip
Ytterbium ion crystal
Lasers used to cool ytterbium ions
Ion Quantum Technology at Sussex...
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Welcome to the web page of the Ion Quantum Technology group at the University of Sussex, Brighton, UK. The group is headed by Dr Winfried Hensinger. Our aim is to develop new quantum technologies, in particular, the ion trap quantum computer. For this purpose our research focuses on applied experimental quantum information science, development of new scalable methods to build ion trap arrays and the generation of large scale entanglement. In the short term, we aim to build quantum simulators and in the long term large scale quantum computers. Another research area is the exploration of the foundations of quantum mechanics. One of our interests is the interaction of atomic and macroscopic systems in the quantum domain. We also carry out research investigating physical processes in biological systems. More information about our research, grouped by different target groups, can be found in the Research Section. Here you can find videos, explanations, interviews with current students and other useful information. You can also go on a Virtual Lab Tour exploring our labs and the technology we develop. |
 BBC documentary about our research (screened
31/10/11, 7.30pm, BBC1, Inside Out) |
General News
January 2013
The Sussex Ion Quantum Technology group is featured in EPSRC's Pioneer magazine, you can find the article here, see p.18 and 19.
October 2012
PhD position available. You can find more information here. Application deadline is 20 December 2012 (applications after this deadline may be considered if position is not filled).
October 2012
Come and explore Ion Quantum Technology research at Sussex using our new interactive display, located in the Pevensey 2 building right in front of the IQT lab.
January 2012
PhD position available. You can find more information here. Application deadline is 10 February 2012 (applications after this deadline may be considered if position is not filled).
January 2012
James Siverns successfully defends his thesis on 12 January.
November 2011
Robin Sterling successfully defends his thesis on 30 November.
October 2011
BBC documentary about research in the Sussex Ion Quantum
Technology group, screened on 31 October, 2011, 7.30pm, BBC1, Inside
Out. It can be viewed here.
A press release is available here.
October 2011
Interview on the Breakfastshow on BBC Sussex Radio with Winfried Hensinger. A recording can be found here.
October 2011
James McLoughlin successfully defends his thesis on 25 October.
September 2011
Two postdoctoral positions are available: Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Ion Quantum Technology and Nanoscience (Closing date 4 October 2011) and Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Integrated Quantum Hybrid Systems (Closing date 14 October 2011). For more information, please email the head of group, Dr Winfried Hensinger
August 2011
Dr Altaf Nizamani is awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy on 6 August.
June 2011
The IQT group received a grant from the Sussex Enterprise Development Fund for another commercialisation project.
June 2011
James Siverns submits his doctoral thesis on 30 June.
June 2011
James McLoughlin submits his doctoral thesis on 1 June.
May 2011
Robin Sterling submits his doctoral thesis on 20 May.
May 2011
Altaf Nizamani successfully defends his thesis on 6 May.
February 2011
Altaf Nizamani submits his doctoral thesis on 21 February.
January 2011
There will be a special Issue on "Ion Trapping" in Applied Physics B - Lasers and Optics, edited by Winfried Hensinger, Danny Segal and Richard Thompson. Details can be found here. Submission deadline is 30 April 2011.
December 2010
The electronic proceedings of the 1st European Conference on Trapped Ions (ECTI 2010) have now been published and can be found here. We also added some conference pictures to the website and you can find them here.
October 2010
Postdoctoral research fellow / associate position in Trapped Ion Quantum Technology and Nano-science is available. More details can be found here.
July 2010
The Ion Quantum Technology Group is featured in the 2010 University of Sussex Research Review.
January 2010
Details on the 2010 European Conference on Trapped Ions (ECTI 2010) can be found here.
December 2009
A 3.5 year PhD position is available. More details can be found here.
July 2009
Winfried Hensinger has been awarded the title of Reader.
June 2009
Ben Jacques-Parr is the recipient of the departmental Pamela Rothwell prize for an outstanding BSc. research project.
June 2009
The IQT group received a grant from the Sussex Enterprise Development Fund to commercialize a specialized laser.
May 2009
Teaching quantum mechanics with electric guitars, more info
here. 
October 2008
Winfried Hensinger has been appointed London Technology Network Business Fellow to foster links between university research and industry.
July 2008
Winfried Hensinger has been awarded an EPSRC Leadership Fellowship with full economic cost value of £1.4M for the development of quantum technology with nanofabricated ion trap chips. A postdoctoral position (up to 5 years) and a number of PhD scholarships are available. Please get in touch if you are interested.
June 2008
Marcus Hughes is the recipient of the departmental prize for an outstanding Master of Physics research project.
March 2008
Interview with Winfried Hensinger on UK Future TV about the general research directions of the group.
Science News
18 March 2013
We introduce an experimentally simple method of manipulating a dressed-state qubit (a qubit that is highly resilient to decoherence). Our method allows the implementation of general rotations of the qubit on the Bloch sphere, and we demonstrate this method using a trapped ytterbium ion
Manuscript: Simple Manipulation of a Microwave Dressed-State Ion Qubit
15 Februar 2013
Demonstration of a two-dimensional ion lattice on a microchip for quantum simulation. The device features reasonable coupling rates between adjacent sites, allows voltages to be applied in excess of 1kV and features long ion life times. We also demonstrate shuttling between adjacent sites and we can deterministically introduce defects in the lattice if required.
Manuscript: Two-dimensional ion trap lattice on a microchip for quantum simulation
28 August 2012
Article showing how one can substantially increase voltages that can be applied to microfabricated ion traps in order to create more powerful devices.
Manuscript: Increased surface flashover voltage in microfabricated devices
19 March 2012
Article on how to create optimal two-dimensional ion trap arrays for quantum simulation, published in New Journal of Physics (14 August 2012)
Manuscript: Optimisation of two-dimensional ion trap arrays for quantum simulation
24 June 2011
Article on the application of radio-frequency voltages to ion traps via helical resonators, published in Apl. Phys. B (17 January 2012).
Manuscript: On the application of radio frequency voltages to ion traps via helical resonators
14 January 2011
Article on the principles and operation of microfabricated ion traps including material considerations, a guide to the appropriate fabrication design, details of different fabrication processes and a summary of previously realized structures, published in Contemp. Phys. (14 Sept. 2011).
Manuscript: Microfabricated Ion Traps
July 2010
Article on design and operation of an ytterbium ion trap experiment with a setup that can host advanced surface and multilayer ion trap chips. We make a heating rate measurement and provide transition frequency measurements more precise than previously published work, published in Phys. Rev. A (21 Jan. 2011)
Manuscript: Versatile ytterbium ion trap experiment for operation of scalable ion-trap chips with motional heating and transition-frequency measurements
July 2010
Article on how to create optimal electrode configurations for separation and trap depth in surface ion traps, published in Applied Physics B (28 Nov. 2011)
Manuscript: Optimum electrode configurations for fast ion separation in microfabricated surface ion traps
June 2010
Article on Dopper-free Yb spectroscopy of Yb using a fluorescence spot technique providing frequency measurements that differ from previous published work and allowing to determine the average velocity of atoms along an atomic beam, published in Phys. Rev. A (8 Oct. 2010)
Manuscript: Doppler-free Yb Spectroscopy with Fluorescence Spot Technique
9 December 2009
Single ytterbium ions are trapped in an experimental setup particularly designed for the development of advanced ion trap chips. This setup allows for rapid turn-around time, optical access for all type of ion trap chips and up to 100 electric interconnects. The particular ion trap used features an ion - electrode distance of 300 microns and we observed an ion life time of more than 1 hour.
University of Sussex Press Release
Physics Department news update
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March 2008
Article on the transport of ions in large scale multi-dimensional ion trap arrays is published in "Quantum Information & Computation".
Manuscript: On the Transport of Atomic Ions in Linear and Multidimensional Ion Trap Arrays.
September 06
Measurement of motional decoherence scaling for an ion trap with moveable electrodes, demonstrated significant suppression of patch potential heating, demonstrated ion trap with 23 microns ion-electrode spacing in experiments at the University of Michigan published in Physical Review Letters.
University of Sussex Press Release
Manuscript
August 2006
Efficient photoionization of neutral atoms with pico- and nanosecond pulses for loading ion traps.
Manuscript
January 2006
Experiments carried out at the University of Michigan reporting first two-dimensional shuttling operations including corner-turning and swapping two ions inside a T-junction published in Applied Physics Letters.
University of Sussex Press Release
Manuscript
Journal Link
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December 2005
Integrated ion chip experiments at the University of Michigan published in Nature Physics.
University of Sussex Press Release
University of Michigan Press Release
Nature Physics Press Release
Nature Physics Manuscript
AIP Physics News Update: A Scalable Quantum Computer Chip
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