Rene Gerritsma

Rene Gerritsma is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Physics within the Faculty of Science at the University of Amsterdam, where he leads the Hybrid atom-ion Quantum Systems research group. His work focuses on quantum phenomena in ultracold atom-ion mixtures and trapped ion quantum computing, with significant contributions to reaching the quantum regime in hybrid systems and developing novel quantum simulation techniques.

Education:

• 1997-2002: Physics, University of Groningen
• 2002-2007: PhD in Physics, University of Amsterdam (Thesis: Permanent magnetic atom chips and Bose-Einstein condensation)

Research Focus: Gerritsma's group pioneers experiments with ultracold lithium atoms and ytterbium ions to study quantum entanglement, Bose-Einstein condensation, and quantum phase transitions in hybrid systems. They specialize in using optical tweezers to engineer soundwave modes in 2D ion crystals for quantum simulation, with applications in quantum error correction and spin liquid modeling. Recent work explores Rydberg-dressed interactions and chemical reactions in atom-ion mixtures at quantum degenerate temperatures.

Publication Trends: His 2010-2022 publications reveal a progression from fundamental atom-ion interaction studies to advanced quantum computing applications. Key themes include buffer gas cooling breakthroughs (2020), Rydberg atom-ion interactions (2019), and optical tweezer-based quantum gate engineering (2017-2022), demonstrating increasing sophistication in controlling quantum systems for computation and simulation.

Scientific Awards:

• Marie-Curie fellowship (2007)
• ERC starting grant (2013)
• Vidi grant (NWO) (2015)
• NWO Startup grant (2017)
• NWO Vici grant (2021)

Advising and Funding: Gerritsma has supervised three PhD students to completion (Trimby, Mazzanti, Hirzler) and secures major research funding through competitive grants. His group receives primary support from the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant) and Dutch Research Council (NWO Vici, Startup, Projectruimte grants), with additional funding through the Vrije Programma Atomic Quantum Simulators 2.0.

Laboratory Operations: Based at Science Park 904 in Amsterdam, his experimental lab combines Paul ion traps with ultracold atom systems, featuring spatial light modulators and acousto-optical deflectors for optical tweezer control. The group collaborates internationally through QuSoft and participates in workshops like the 2024 Workshop on Quantum Mixtures of Atoms and Ions.