Towards Dipole Blockade Controlled-NOT Gate Using Ultracold Molecules

Abstract

Quantum computing is a promising field that aims to achieve large increases in computational speed by taking advantage of the unique properties of quantum physics. There are many proposals for how it can be implemented in the real world, one of these being the use of Rydberg atoms. Rydberg atoms are limited by the instability of the highly excited Rydberg states, resulting in lifetimes measured in the hundreds of microseconds. Molecules can be used to perform quantum gates with a similar method to Rydberg atoms, and their lifetimes can be several orders of magnitude longer than the lifetimes of Rydberg atoms. This thesis builds on a previous work in which the ideal fidelity of this method was calculated by investigating various real world factors and their implications for the feasibility of molecules as a platform for quantum computing. Additionally, it discusses many changes and improvements to the ovens and larger vacuum system designed to perform these experiments.