Pasqal Traps 4 Atoms With Photonic Chip, Targeting 10,000-Atom Quantum Systems
Updated
Updated · AiThority · Aug 10
Pasqal Traps 4 Atoms With Photonic Chip, Targeting 10,000-Atom Quantum Systems
2 articles · Updated · AiThority · Aug 10
Summary
Four optical traps generated on a single photonic chip held four individual rubidium atoms inside a Pasqal quantum processing unit, which the company called a world-first for neutral-atom computing.
The result shifts key optical-tweezer functions from bulky free-space hardware onto integrated photonics, addressing a major scaling bottleneck as Pasqal pushes toward larger fault-tolerant machines.
Tests showed atom-trapping performance in line with Pasqal’s bulk-optics systems, including atom lifetimes of about 27.5 seconds, supporting the case that integration need not weaken qubit control.
Co-developed with Aeponyx, acquired 18 months ago, the platform is designed to cut future optical footprints by up to 50 times and support manufacturable processors.
Pasqal said the architecture is a step toward industrial-scale systems with more than 10,000 atoms and 100 logical qubits.