Chip-Scale Lasers Power Quantum Experiments on Trapped Ions

Researchers demonstrate portable, stabilized laser chips that can drive atomic clocks and quantum computers.

Mar. 31, 2026 at 4:36am

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Researchers from UC Santa Barbara and the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed chip-scale, stabilized lasers that can power quantum experiments with trapped ions, paving the way for more compact, portable, and scalable quantum technologies. The miniaturized laser system can perform key quantum operations like state preparation and measurement with high fidelity, setting the stage for advances in quantum computing and sensing.

Why it matters

Bringing quantum technologies out of large, tightly controlled lab setups and into more portable, field-ready devices is a crucial step for making quantum sensing, timekeeping, and computing more accessible and practical. These chip-scale laser systems could enable quantum experiments and applications in a wide range of settings, from satellites to the Moon, unlocking new possibilities in areas like gravity mapping, dark matter detection, and tests of fundamental physics.

The details

The researchers developed a chip-scale Brillouin laser that has extremely low frequency noise, allowing it to precisely control and measure trapped ion qubits. This laser is stabilized by an integrated coil resonator chip, keeping the light locked to the extremely narrow strontium clock transition required for quantum operations. The team demonstrated high-fidelity state preparation and measurement of the trapped ion qubits, achieving 99.6% fidelity with fewer control pulses than traditional table-top laser setups.

  • The research was conducted in 2026 and published in Nature Communications on March 31, 2026.

The players

Daniel Blumenthal

A professor of electrical and computer engineering at UC Santa Barbara and a senior author of the published paper.

Robert Niffenegger

An electrical and computer engineering professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, who collaborated on the project.

UC Santa Barbara

The university where the lead researcher, Daniel Blumenthal, is a professor and where the research was conducted.

University of Massachusetts Amherst

The university where the collaborating researcher, Robert Niffenegger, is a professor and which was involved in the project.

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What they’re saying

“This work is foundational in that we demonstrated that chip-scale integrated photonic stabilized lasers can be used to connect precision light to one of the narrowest atomic optical transitions that people work with, with the trapped ion itself created on a surface trap chip operating at room temperature.”

— Daniel Blumenthal, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UC Santa Barbara

“If you want scalability or portability with quantum technology, you need the laser systems to all be on chip too. We could have millions of qubits on one chip in a way that is not possible if you needed rooms full of lasers and optics. If you're serious about getting to that scale, you have to look at how traditional computers have scaled through integration. That's the vision we're following.”

— Robert Niffenegger, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst

What’s next

The researchers plan to integrate additional lasers for state preparation, control, and the 'physics package' that houses the ion trap, further advancing towards a fully chip-scale quantum system.

The takeaway

This breakthrough in chip-scale, stabilized lasers for quantum experiments with trapped ions represents a significant step towards making portable, scalable quantum technologies a reality, with potential applications ranging from gravity mapping to fundamental physics research.