Decoherence of a single-ion qubit immersed in a spin-polarized atomic bath

We report on the immersion of a spin qubit encoded in a single trapped ion into a spin-polarized neutral atom environment, which possesses both continuous (motional) and discrete (spin) degrees of freedom. The environment offers the possibility of a precise microscopic description, which allows us t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inPhysical review letters Vol. 110; no. 16; p. 160402
Main Authors Ratschbacher, L, Sias, C, Carcagni, L, Silver, J M, Zipkes, C, Köhl, M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 19.04.2013
Online AccessGet more information

Cover

More Information
Summary:We report on the immersion of a spin qubit encoded in a single trapped ion into a spin-polarized neutral atom environment, which possesses both continuous (motional) and discrete (spin) degrees of freedom. The environment offers the possibility of a precise microscopic description, which allows us to understand dynamics and decoherence from first principles. We observe the spin dynamics of the qubit and measure the decoherence times (T(1) and T(2)), which are determined by the spin-exchange interaction as well as by an unexpectedly strong spin-nonconserving coupling mechanism.
ISSN:1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/physrevlett.110.160402