In an optical lattice of laser light, the physicists succeeded in setting up a register with 1200 neutral atoms and operating it continuously for over an hour. Arrangements of this size were previously difficult to maintain due to unavoidable atom losses. The research team led by Johannes Zeiher, group leader at the MPQ and co-founder of the MQV spin-off planqc, developed a technique that allows them to successively reload new atoms into the register and thus solve the problem of atom loss. With the help of this newly developed reloading zone, lost atoms can be replaced in real time. The practical use of quantum technologies, which is based on long-lasting and undisturbed operation of the systems, is thus one step closer.
Quantum computing based on neutral atoms is one of the hardware platforms being developed as part of the MQV. Here, individual atoms are captured using powerful lasers and used as qubits.