Programmable control of indistinguishable particles: from clocks to qubits to many-body physics

Quantum information science seeks to exploit the collective behavior of a large quantum system to enable tasks that are impossible (or less possible!) with classical resources alone. This burgeoning field encompasses a variety of directions, ranging from metrology to computing. While distinguished in objective, all of these directions rely on the preparation and control of many identical particles or qubits. Meeting this need is a defining challenge of the field. There are several promising platforms that are targeting these capabilities, and I will focus on one such platform – optically-trapped neutral atoms. In this context, we have been developing a new suite of tools, based on the use of more exotic atomic species, new trapping architectures, and new control methods. I will provide an overview of these developments and then a specific example of our investigations of programmable, entangled optical atomic clocks.