Undergraduate Research & Scholarships

Isabela Le Bras L&S Sciences

Investigating the Vaccum Compatibility of Filter Circuits for Ion Trap Quantum Computing

This summer I will be working in ion trap quantum computing. Quantum computing is an alternate form of computation that uses a quantum bit, called a “qubit”, in place of the binary system. My professor, Hartmut Haeffner, isolates ions in radio frequency traps to create qubits. This trapping must take place in an ultra high vacuum so that air molecules do not interfere with the ion. My project entails building RC filters for the ion trap that are compatible with the vacuum. These filters need to remove any radio frequency pickup in DC electrodes in the trap. The main challenge, however, will be the vacuum compatbility which will involve rigorous testing and research in material science.

Message To Sponsor

Berkeley is above all a fantastic research institution and the opportunity to immersed in it for the summer is exciting. Thank you for providing your support and enabling me to focus on one project for an extended period of time. Especially because the semester can be overwhelmingly busy, I look forward to concentrating on the lab and being able to make contributions. This summer I hope to create a firm foundation to build upon throughout my senior year as well as develop research skills in general. I have also heard that Berkeley is beautiful in the summer and look forward to spending more time here!