QUANTUM-Seminar

We aim to advance antimatter research through tabletop experiments that operate independently of accelerator infrastructure, allowing for much lower noise levels and freedom from beamtime schedules. Our approach involves Dual RadioFrequency Traps (DRFTs) to confine the constituents of antihydrogen: positrons and antiprotons. Due to the different charge-to-mass ratios, each species primarily couples to a separate RF field. Unlike other traps, DRFTs naturally allow two species, even those of opposite charge, to be brought close together so that high production rates of antihydrogen can be achieved. Additionally, their open geometry is advantageous for laser spectroscopy. In our pioneering study, we develop a DRFT for co-trapping electrons and calcium ions which act as stand-ins for positrons and antiprotons. We demonstrate seperate storage times of up to a second and are developing an improved DRFT to extend this. In parallel, we are developing a low-energy positron source which will allow us to study bound positron-atom systems while other groups work on developing tools to transport antiprotons for future studies on antihydrogen.

Optical atomic clocks with eighteen significant digits are the most accurate measurement devices available to us with applications ranging from tests of fundamental physics to height difference measurements in relativistic geodesy. The uncertainty in trapped-ion clocks is limited by systematic frequency shifts and quantum projection noise. In my presentation, I will show how quantum engineering techniques can overcome these limitations. Quantum algorithms provide access to new clock species such as highly charged ions with reduced systematic shifts and high sensitivity to searches for new physics, including hypothetical fifth forces, variation of fundamental constants and dark matter candidates. Dynamical decoupling and entangled state spectroscopy in a multi-ion frequency reference offer suppression of systematic shifts, while improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the clock and thus the required averaging time to reach a certain resolution. These developments will pave the way towards a next generation of quantum-enhanced clocks that enter the 10-19 relative frequency uncertainty regime.