Distributed Quantum Systems
In our group we work on developing methods to establish entanglement between remote quantum systems and using that capability to realize new scientific and technological applications. Our remote quantum systems are equivalent to registers of spins, in which entanglement can be stored and processed, that are linked together using photons. We would like to develop such quantum networks over distances from a few meters, in order to study scalable many-body quantum systems, up to thousands of kilometers, for global quantum communication and sensing networks. Our key research questions are:
- How can we distribute, store and grow entanglement between remote locations?
- What are the most promising applications of distributed entanglement and how can we realize them in the near future?
In our lab we focus on developing spin registers encoded into arrays of trapped atomic ions. The singularly-ionized atoms are held in a radio-frequency linear Paul trap. Each atom encodes a quantum spin, or quantum bit, and universal quantum processing can be realized over the spin register using laser-driven interactions. An optical cavity integrated around the trap allows for efficiently interfacing the spins with single photons. The image below shows our cavity-integrated ion-trap. We also develop non-linear optical systems for interconverting the wavelengths of photons from ion-compatible values to the special value of 1550nm. This `Telecom C-band’ wavelength is used by the global classical telecommunications industry, suffers minimal loss whilst travelling through optical fibers and is the ideal value for a future quantum communication standard.
View into the vacuum chamber. The ion trap is made of gold-coated titanium electrodes and is attached to the top of the vacuum chamber. The optical cavity is formed by two mirrors in bluish titanium holders and sits on piezo stacks for cavity length control (the four wires supplying voltage to the piezos are visible). The cavity is attached, via translation stages (not shown), to the bottom vacuum chamber flange.
Recent news
- Apr 2024. We have PhD and Postdoc positions available. Please email us directly at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Apr 2024. Our paper on multimode light-matter entanglement over 100km was published in PRX Quantum, here. An overarticle was written in Physics.
- Jun 2023. There has been quite some press about our repeater node paper. e.g., this viewpoint in Physics, this article in Optica and this article in Physics World.
- May 2023. Our repeater node paper was published in Physical Review letters, here.
- Feb 2023. Our paper on realizing a quantum repeater node [arXiv:2210.05418] was accepted for publication in Physical Review letters.
- Feb 2023. Our paper on entangling two ions in remote buildings was published in Physical Review letters. This work was carried out in close collaboration with the groups of Prof. Tracy Northup and of Prof. Nicolas Sangouard. Congratulations to the teams! Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 050803 (2023) and arXiv:2208.14907 (see press release and editor's choice article).
Our Team
From left to right: Back row: Felix Bernecker, Tatjana Runggaldier, James Bate, Viktor Krutianskii, Armin Winkler, Ben Lanyon, Marco Canteri; Front row: Fabitha Kodakkat, Yash Wath, Pascal Wintermeyer
Former project members
Tabea Stroinski (Master), now at the University of Mainz, AG Schmidt-Kaler
Vojtech Krcmarsky (PhD), now at BERNARD group
Johannes Helgert (Master), now at the University of Amsterdam
Dr. Zhe Koong (Postdoc), now at the University of Oxford
Dr. Martin Meraner (PhD), now at BERNARD group
Dr. Josef Schupp (PhD), now at Alpine Quantum Technologies
Helene Hainzer (Master Student), now in the group of Ch. Roos
Dr. Muir Kumph (Postdoc), now IBM Watson Research Centre
Contact
Our new labs are on the 1st floor of the Viktor-Franz-Hess Haus, building TE025 on the Technik campus of the University of Innsbruck. Technikerstrasse 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
Tel: +43-512-507-52900
Preprints
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Experimental distributed quantum sensing in a noisy environment
J. Bate, A. Hamann, M. Canteri, A. Winkler, Z. Koong, V. Krutyanskiy, W. Dür, and B.P. Lanyon
arXiv preprint arXiv:2501.08940 (2025) -
A photon-interfaced ten qubit quantum network node
M. Canteri, Z. Koong, J. Bate, A. Winkler, V. Krutyanskiy, and B.P. Lanyon
arXiv preprint arXiv:2406.09480 (2024)
Publications
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Multimode Ion-Photon Entanglement over 101 Kilometers
V. Krutyanskiy, M. Canteri, M. Meraner, V. Krcmarsky, and B.P. Lanyon
PRX Quantum 5, 020308 (2024) -
A telecom-wavelength quantum repeater node based on a trapped-ion processor
V. Krutyanskiy, M. Canteri, M. Meraner, J. Bate, V. Krcmarsky, J. Schupp, N. Sangouard, B. P. Lanyon
Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 213601 (2023) (arXiv:2210.05418) -
Entanglement of trapped-ion qubits separated by 230 meters
V. Krutyanskiy, M. Galli, V. Krcmarsky, S. Baier, D. A. Fioretto, Y. Pu, A. Mazloom, P. Sekatski, M. Canteri, M. Teller, J. Schupp, J. Bate, M. Meraner, N. Sangouard, B. P. Lanyon, T. E. Northup
Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 050803 (2023) and arXiv:2208.14907 (see press release and editor's choice) -
Interface between Trapped-Ion Qubits and Traveling Photons with Close-to-Optimal Efficiency
J. Schupp, V. Krcmarsky, V. Krutyanskiy, M. Meraner, T.E. Northup, and B.P. Lanyon
PRX Quantum 2, 020331 (2021) -
Indistinguishable photons from a trapped-ion quantum network node
M. Meraner, A. Mazloom, V. Krutyanskiy, V. Krcmarsky, J. Schupp, D. A. Fioretto, P. Sekatski, T. E. Northup, N. Sangouard, and B. P. Lanyon
Phys. Rev. A 102, 052614 (2020) -
Light-matter entanglement over 50 km of optical fibre
V. Krutyanskiy, M. Meraner, J. Schupp, V. Krcmarsky, H. Hainzer & B. P. Lanyon
npj Quantum Information, volume 5, Article number: 72 (2019) -
Deterministic quantum state transfer between remote qubits in cavities
B. Vogell, B. Vermersch, T. E. Northup, B. P. Lanyon, C. A. Muschik
Quantum Sci. Technol. 2 045003, arXiv:1704.06233
- "Polarisation-preserving photon frequency conversion from a trapped-ion-compatible wavelength to the telecom C-band"
V. Krutyanskiy, M. Meraner, J. Schupp and B. P. Lanyon
Appl. Phys. B 123, 228 (2017) (Open access) - "Quantum repeaters based on trapped ions with decoherence-free subspace encoding"
M. Zwerger, B. P. Lanyon, T. E. Northup, C. A. Muschik, W. Dür and N. Sangouard
Quantum Sci. Technol.2 (2017),arXiv:1611.07779
Theses
PhD
- Martin Meraner, A photonic quantum interface between trapped ions and the telecom C-band, 2022, Download
- Josef Schupp, Interface between trapped-ion qubits and travelling photons with close-to-optimal efficiency, 2022, Download
- Vojtech Krcmarsky, A trapped-ion quantum network over 230 m, 2024, Download
Master
- Helene Hainzer, Laser locking for trapped-ion quantum networks, 2018, Download
- Marco Canteri, Single-atom-focused laser for photon generation and qubit control, 2020, Download
- Armin Winkler, Frequency Stabilization of a 729 nm Ti:Sa Laser for Qubit Manipulation in Trapped Calcium Ions, 2023, Download
- Tabea Stronski, Implementation of a Controlled-NOT Gate with Quantum Memory Application for Trapped Ions, 2024, Download
- Johannes Helgert, Radio frequency control of a trapped-ion quantum network node, 2024, Download