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Whats really unexplored experimentally is what happens if you take the results of those measurements and feed them back to future parameters of the system, said Weld, who will be collaborating with UCSB physicist Andrew Jayich for this project. One way feedback could be useful is in the realm of quantum error correction, in which the feedback protects information in qubits for more robust quantum computing. But thats just one example of a broader space of possibilities where you could have new behaviors, new phenomena and new states of matter emerging as you add these feedback elements, he said.

To set the stage for potential new behaviors and phenomena, the research team is developing an experimental apparatus that combines atoms at ultracold temperatures where quantum behaviors become important and optical tweezers, which are focused lasers that allow the researchers to trap and manipulate these atoms. Using arrays of tweezers to manipulate large ensembles of ultracold atoms in this tightly controlled environment, the researchers would be able to explore the physics of many-body quantum systems, in which many particles interact with each other and their structured classical environment to potentially produce emergent behaviors. Using thousands of atoms may also allow the researchers to perform weak measurements, gaining insight into the dynamics of the system without the usual complete loss of quantum properties that come with measurement.

It opens up this possibility that were excited about to do partial measurement and feedback, without destroying the quantum state, Weld said.

According to the Moore Foundation, Dr. Welds work to develop techniques for controlling the flow of entropy, energy and information in quantum systems could have a major impact on all scientific or technological platforms which rely on quantum control.

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Experimental physicist David Weld to investigate the role of ... - The UCSB Current