Enhancing dipolar interactions between molecules using state-dependent optical tweezer traps

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how state-dependent optical traps can significantly enhance dipolar interactions between molecules, enabling faster two-qubit gates with minimal barriers from common experimental complications.

Contribution

It introduces a method to trap molecules in close proximity using state-dependent optical potentials, greatly increasing dipole-dipole interaction strength for quantum computing.

Findings

Two-qubit gate speeds are increased by a factor of 100.

Hyperfine structure and light shifts do not impede implementation.

Photon scattering and collisional loss are manageable.

Abstract

We show how state-dependent optical potentials can be used to trap a pair of molecules in different internal states at a separation much smaller than the wavelength of the trapping light. This close spacing greatly enhances the dipole-dipole interaction and we show how it can be used to implement two-qubit gates between molecules that are 100 times faster than existing protocols and than rotational coherence times already demonstrated. We analyze complications due to hyperfine structure, tensor light shifts, photon scattering and collisional loss, and conclude that none is a barrier to implementing the scheme.