A scalable hardware and software control apparatus for experiments with hybrid quantum systems

Year: 2018

Authors: Perego E., Pomponio M., Detti A., Duca L., Sias C., Calosso C.E.

Autors Affiliation: Politecn Torino, Corso Duca Abruzzi 24, I-10129 Turin, Italy; Ist Nazl Ric Metrol, Str Cacce 91, I-10135 Turin, Italy; Univ Firenze, Dipartimento Fis & Astron, Via G Sansone 1, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; European Lab Nonlinear Spect, LENS, Via N Carrara 1, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; CNR, INO, Via N Carrara 1, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.

Abstract: Modern experiments with fundamental quantum systems – like ultracold atoms, trapped ions, and single photons – are managed by a control system formed by a number of input/output electronic channels governed by a computer. In hybrid quantum systems, where two or more quantum systems are combined and made to interact, establishing an efficient control system is particularly challenging due to the higher complexity, especially when each single quantum system is characterized by a different time scale. Here we present a new control apparatus specifically designed to efficiently manage hybrid quantum systems. The apparatus is formed by a network of fast communicating Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), the action of which is administrated by a software. Both hardware and software share the same tree-like structure, which ensures a full scalability of the control apparatus. In the hardware, a master board acts on a number of slave boards, each of which is equipped with an FPGA that locally drives analog and digital input/output channels and radiofrequency outputs up to 400 MHz. The software is designed to be a general platform for managing both commercial and home-made instruments in a user-friendly and intuitive graphical user interface. The architecture ensures that complex control protocols can be carried out, such as performing of concurrent commands loops by acting on different channels, the generation of multi-variable error functions, and the implementation of self-optimization procedures. Although designed for managing experiments with hybrid quantum systems, in particular with atom-ion mixtures, this control apparatus can in principle be used in any experiment in atomic, molecular, and optical physics. Published by AIP Publishing

Journal/Review: REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS

Volume: 89 (11)      Pages from: 113116-1  to: 113116-10

More Information: We thank M. Inguscio for continuous support, the members of the LENS electronic workshop for discussions, and E. Bertacco for his invaluable help. This work was financially supported by the ERC Starting Gran t PlusOne (Grant Agreement No. 639242), the project EMPIR 17FUN07 (CC4C), the SIR-MIUR grant ULTRACOLDPLUS (Grant No. RBSI14GNS2), and the FARE-MIUR grant UltraCrystals (Grant No. R165JHRWR3). This project has received funding from the EMPIR programme co-financed by the Participating States and from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
KeyWords: hybrid quantum systems
DOI: 10.1063/1.5049120

Citations: 16
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