Cornell Demonstrates Standing-Wave Cooling for Trapped-Ion Quantum Computing

Nullspace ES Supports First Experimental Demonstration of Standing-Wave EIT Cooling for Trapped Ions

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Sept. 24, 2026 — Nullspace, a leading provider of advanced electromagnetic simulation software, has announced that researchers at Cornell University, led by Professor Karan Mehta, used Nullspace ES to support the first experimental demonstration of standing-wave electromagnetically-induced-transparency (EIT) cooling for trapped ions, building on theoretical predictions dating back to 1992.

Layout of the trap zone used along with the freespace and integrated optical waveguide and grating elements at the indicated wavelengths, B-field orientation, top metal, and ITO features.

Using Nullspace ES to simulate the electrostatic fields of a complex chip-scale ion trap, researchers in Cornell University’s Mehta Group calculated the baseline voltage sets used to control ions throughout the experiment. The resulting experiment demonstrated a new approach to trapped-ion cooling that achieved higher cooling rates, addressed a broader range of modes, and reached lower final phonon occupation numbers than the conventional running-wave approach.

Simulating the Electrostatics Behind Trapped-Ion Control