Ensemble Quantum Computation with atoms in periodic potentials

Abstract

We show how to perform universal quantum computation with atoms confined in optical lattices which works both in the presence of defects and without individual addressing. The method is based on using the defects in the lattice, wherever they are, both to ``mark'' different copies on which ensemble quantum computation is carried out and to define pointer atoms which perform the quantum gates. We also show how to overcome the problem of scalability on this system.