Quantum Optics Seminar: Susanna Yelin, Harvard University

From Cooperative Atomic Arrays to Analog Quantum Computation 

What is the potential of dense cooperative emitter arrays? Already usable as waveguides and mirrors for metrology and quantum information, they also work in chiral, helical, and ring geometries. By tailoring cooperative emission, these arrays route light, act as effective cavities and antennas, and enable compact state control and memory. I will also present an experiment on superradiance with ultracold atoms in an optical lattice.

We then show that globally controlled analog simulators such as, for example, atom arrays, with simple native Hamiltonians plus a single symmetry-breaking term can be universal. Using direct quantum optimal control, we synthesize effective multibody interactions under hardware limits. In an experiment on a simple Rydberg array, we engineer three-body terms beyond blockade and observe topological edge dynamics. Together, cooperative atomic arrays emerge as a scalable platform for analog quantum computation.