Quantum networking and vortex field experiments with Strontium ions

Quantum networking across longer distances is an important avenue to scale quantum technology. In Strontium ions, there is a transition from the D3/2 to the P1/2 level at 1.1 um, a wavelength compatible with current fiber optic infrastructure and hence a good candidate for medium-distance quantum networking. This transition avoids the requirement of lossy photon conversion and direct transmission on the km scale of photons whose state is entangled with the ion is possible. We discuss the construction of a trapped Strontium ion experiment and give recent progress toward remote entanglement. The ion qubit states following our photon generation scheme are located at the D3/2 level and differ by Δmj=2. We suggest a method for generating the microwave vortex field, which carries an orbital angular momentum unit in addition to the photon spin unit, to drive this dipole-forbidden transition and present progress toward generating this field experimentally.