# US 11,995,512 B2 · Scalable neutral atom based quantum computing > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,995,512 B2 - Document ID: US11995512B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/900,641 - Filed: 2020-06-12 - Published: 2021-02-18 - Granted: 2024-05-28 - Earliest claimed: 2018-11-13 - Assignees: Atom Computing Inc. - Applicants: Atom Computing Inc. - Inventors: Jonathan King; Benjamin Bloom; Krish Kotru; Brian Lester; Maxwell Parsons - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11995512B2 ## CPC - G06N 10/40: Physical realisations or architectures of quantum processors or components for manipulating qubits, e.g. qubit coupling or qubit control - G06N 3/002: {Biomolecular computers, i.e. using biomolecules, proteins, cells (using DNA G06N3/123; using neurons G06N3/061)} - G06N 3/047: Probabilistic or stochastic networks - G06N 3/08: Learning methods - G06N 3/092: Reinforcement learning - G06N 10/60: Quantum algorithms, e.g. based on quantum optimisation, quantum Fourier or Hadamard transforms - G06N 20/20: Ensemble learning - G06N 3/006: based on simulated virtual individual or collective life forms, e.g. social simulations or particle swarm optimisation [PSO] - G06N 3/044: Recurrent networks, e.g. Hopfield networks - G06N 3/045: Combinations of networks - G06N 5/01: Dynamic search techniques; Heuristics; Dynamic trees; Branch-and-bound - G06N 5/025: Extracting rules from data - G06N 7/01: Probabilistic graphical models, e.g. probabilistic networks - G06N: COMPUTING ARRANGEMENTS BASED ON SPECIFIC COMPUTATIONAL MODELS ## Abstract The present disclosure provides methods and systems for performing non-classical computations. The methods and systems generally use a plurality of spatially distinct optical trapping sites to trap a plurality of atoms, one or more electromagnetic delivery units to apply electromagnetic energy to one or more atoms of the plurality to induce the atoms to adopt one or more superposition states of a first atomic state and a second atomic state, one or more entanglement units to quantum mechanically entangle at least a subset of the one or more atoms in the one or more superposition states with at least another atom of the plurality, and one or more readout optical units to perform measurements of the superposition states to obtain the non-classical computation. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for performing a non-classical computation, comprising: (a) at a first magneto-optical trap (MOT), cooling one or more atoms to a first temperature, wherein said first MOT comprises a three-dimensional (3D) MOT; (b) at a second MOT, cooling said one or more atoms from said first temperature to a second temperature that is lower than said first temperature; (c) generating a plurality of spatially distinct optical trapping sites, said plurality of optical trapping sites configured to trap a plurality of atoms comprising at least said one or more atoms, wherein said plurality of atoms comprises one or more qubits, wherein said plurality of atoms comprises an atom comprising two valence electrons, and wherein said atom of said plurality of atoms is trapped in an optical trapping site of said plurality of optical trapping sites by an attractive force; (d) applying electromagnetic energy to one or more atoms of said plurality of atoms, to perform a sequence of qubit gate operations, wherein a qubit gate operation within said sequence of qubit gate operations comprises: (i) inducing said one or more atoms to adopt one or more superposition states of a first atomic state and at least a second atomic state that is different from said first atomic state; or (ii) inducing said one or more atoms to adopt one or more superposition states of a first atomic state and at least a second atomic state that is different from said first atomic state and quantum mechanically entangling at least a subset of said one or more atoms in said one or more superposition states with at least another atom of said plurality of atoms; and (e) performing one or more measurements of said one or more superposition states to obtain said non-classical computation, wherein said non-classical computation is encoded in said sequence of qubit gate operations. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least one spatially distinct optical trapping site of said plurality of spatially distinct optical trapping sites traps a single atom of said plurality of atoms. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of spatially distinct optical trapping sites comprise one or more optical tweezers. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of spatially distinct optical trapping sites comprises a plurality of optical lattice sites of one or more optical lattices. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein said one or more optical lattices comprise one or more members selected from the group consisting of: one-dimensional (1D) optical lattices, two-dimensional (2D) optical lattices, and three-dimensional (3D) optical lattices. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising cooling said plurality of atoms prior to trapping said plurality of atoms at said plurality of spatially distinct optical trapping sites. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said first MOT comprises one or more light sources configured to emit light having one or more wavelengths that are within a range from 400 nanometers (nm) to 1,000 nm. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said first temperature is at most 10 millikelvin (mK). ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said second MOT comprises a 3D MOT. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said second MOT comprises one or more light sources configured to emit light having one or more wavelengths that are within a range from 400 nm to 1,000 nm. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said second temperature is at most 100 microkelvin (μK). ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising at a sideband cooling unit or Sisyphus cooling unit, performing sideband cooling or Sisyphus cooling, respectively, to cool said one or more atoms from said second temperature to a third temperature that is lower than said second temperature. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein said sideband cooling unit or Sisyphus cooling unit comprises one or more light sources configured to emit light having one or more wavelengths that are within a range from 400 nm to 1,000 nm. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein said third temperature is at most 10 μK. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more qubits comprises at least 10 qubits. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said atom of said plurality of atoms is an alkaline earth atom. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein said atom of said plurality of atoms is strontium or ytterbium. ### Claim 18 A method for performing a non-classical computation, comprising: (a) slowing a plurality of atoms from a first velocity or distribution of velocities to a second velocity that is lower than said first velocity or distribution of velocities at one or more state preparation units, wherein said one or more state preparation unites comprises a Zeeman slower, and wherein said second velocity is at most 10 meters per second (m/s); (b) at a first magneto-optical trap (MOT) cooling one or more atoms of said plurality of atoms to a first temperature; (c) at a second MOT cooling said one or more atoms from said first temperature to a second temperature that is lower than said first temperature; (d) generating a plurality of spatially distinct optical trapping sites, said plurality of optical trapping sites configured to trap said plurality of atoms comprising at least said one or more atoms, wherein said plurality of atoms comprises one or more qubits, wherein said plurality of atoms comprises an atom comprising two valence electrons, and wherein said atom of said plurality of atoms is trapped in an optical trapping site of said plurality of optical trapping sites by an attractive force; (e) applying electromagnetic energy to one or more atoms of said plurality of atoms, to perform a sequence of qubit gate operations, wherein a qubit gate operation within said sequence of qubit gate operations comprises: (i) inducing said one or more atoms to adopt one or more superposition states of a first atomic state and at least a second atomic state that is different from said first atomic state; or (ii) inducing said one or more atoms to adopt one or more superposition states of a first atomic state and at least a second atomic state that is different from said first atomic state and quantum mechanically entangling at least a subset of said one or more atoms in said one or more superposition states with at least another atom of said plurality of atoms; and (f) performing one or more measurements of said one or more superposition states to obtain said non-classical computation, wherein said non-classical computation is encoded in said sequence of qubit gate operations. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein said plurality of spatially distinct optical trapping sites comprise one or more optical tweezers. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein said plurality of spatially distinct optical trapping sites comprises a plurality of optical lattice sites of one or more optical lattices.