Abstract: Method and apparatus for quantum simulation, based on a linear chain of ions. A gradient field is imposed to break the symmetry of the ion chain, and bichromatic driving fields are applied to bridge the energy gaps induced by the gradient field and thereby establish resonance couplings among the ions according to their relative positions in the gradient field. The combination of the gradient field and the bichromatic driving fields implement excitation hopping to simulate a variety of topologies according to higher¬dimensional Hamiltonians and boundary conditions, including ring, torus, Mobius strip configurations, as well as topologies with periodic boundary conditions. In particular synthetic gauge fields allow simulation of magnetic flux.

Abstract: An atomic vector magnetometer and magnetometric methods based on atomic clock transitions unaffected by magnetic field strength for increased quantum coherency time, resulting in improved sensitivity over conventional Zeeman-based atomic magnetometry, where coherency is restricted by sensitivity to magnetic fields. Instead of measuring magnetic field strength in the direction of the quantization axis, as in Zeeman magnetometry, magnetic field strength is measured substantially orthogonal to the quantization axis, via determining the angular displacement of the quantization axis by the magnetic signal field, which is detected by changes in atomic state populations as the quantization axis is rotated relative to the excitation polarization. In addition, the present invention measures magnetic fields instantaneously rather than via accumulated phase shift over time, as in Zeeman magnetometry, thereby providing measurement and spectral analysis of time-varying magnetic fields.