Ion traps, quantum computing, and the measurement problem$^{\dag}$

The basic requirements for quantum computing and quantum simulation (single- and multi-qubit gates, long memory times, etc.) have been demonstrated in separate experiments on trapped ions. Construction of a useful information processor will require synthesis of these elements and implementation of high- fidelity operations on a very large number of qubits. NIST and other groups are addressing this scaling issue by trying to fabricate multi-zone arrays of traps that would allow highly- parallel processing. As the number of qubits increases, the measurement problem in quantum mechanics becomes more glaring; with luck, trapped ion systems might be able to shed light on this fundamental issue.\\ \\ $\dag$ Recent NIST work in collaboration with D. Leibfried, J. C. Bergquist, R. B. Blakestad, J. J. Bollinger, J. Britton, J. Chiaverini, R. E. Drullinger, R. Epstein, D. Hume, W. M. Itano, J. D. Jost, J. Koelemeij, E. Knill, C. Langer, R. Ozeri, R. Reichle, T. Rosenband, P. O. Schmidt, S. Seidelin, N. Shiga, and J. Wesenberg, and supported by DTO, ONR, and NIST.