Quantum Simulations in Ion Traps -- Towards Simulating the Early Expanding Universe

Understand

This thesis provides an overview of an approach to quantum simulations using magnesium-25 ions stored in a linear Paul trap as the carriers of quantum information.

• Their quantum state is manipulated and read out using ultraviolet laser beams.
• Several important steps towards realising the first experiments have been undertaken, the most striking of which is cooling the ions to their motional ground state.
• We describe a first experiment simulating cosmological particle creation in the Early Universe and discuss the expected results.