Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:0803.2151 · New Journal of Physics

Two-dimensional array of microtraps with atomic shift register on a chip

S. Whitlock, R. Gerritsma, T. Fernholz, R. J. C. Spreeuw

Published Feb 11, 2009• 101 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Arrays of trapped atoms are the ideal starting points for developing registers comprising large numbers of physical qubits for storing and processing quantum information. One very promising approach involves neutral atom traps produced on microfabricated devices known as atom chips, as almost arbitrary trap configurations can be realized in a robust and compact package. Until now, however, atom chip experiments have focused on small systems incorporating single or only a few individual traps. Here, we report experiments on a two-dimensional array of trapped ultracold atom clouds prepared using a simple magnetic-film atom chip. We are able to load atoms into hundreds of tightly confining and optically resolved array sites. We then cool the individual atom clouds in parallel to the critical temperature required for quantum degeneracy. Atoms are shuttled across the chip surface utilizing the atom chip as an atomic shift register and local manipulation of atoms is implemented using a focused laser to rapidly empty individual traps.

DOI
10.1088/1367-2630/11/2/023021

Related papers

ARRAY OF MESOSCOPIC ENSEMBLES ON A MAGNETIC ATOM CHIP

Atreju Tauschinsky, Caspar F. Ockeloen-Korppi, Rutger M. T. Thijssen +2 more

We report on the storage and manipulation of hundreds of mesoscopic ensembles of ultracold 87Rb atoms in a vast two-dimensional array of magnetic microtraps, defined lithographically in a permanently magnetized film. The atom numbers typically range from tens to hundreds of atoms per site. The traps are optically resolved using absorption imaging and individually addressed using a focused probe laser. We shift the entire array, without heating, along the surface by rotating an external bias field. We evaporatively cool the atoms to the critical temperature for quantum degeneracy. At the lowest temperatures, density dependent loss allows small and well defined numbers of atoms to be prepared in each microtrap. This microtrap array is a promising novel platform for quantum information processing, where hyperfine ground states act as qubit states, and Rydberg excitation may orchestrate interaction between neighbouring sites.

Laser Spectroscopy•Feb 1, 2010•0 citations

Micro-optical Realization of Arrays of Selectively Addressable Dipole Traps: A Scalable Configuration for Quantum Computation with Atomic Qubits

Rainer Dumke, Michael Volk, T. Müther +3 more

We experimentally demonstrate novel structures for the realization of registers of atomic qubits: We trap neutral atoms in one- and two-dimensional arrays of far-detuned dipole traps obtained by focusing a red-detuned laser beam with a microfabricated array of microlenses. We are able to selectively address individual trap sites due to their large lateral separation of 125 microm. We initialize and read out different internal states for the individual sites. We also create two interleaved sets of trap arrays with adjustable separation, as required for many proposed implementations of quantum gate operations.

arXiv:quant-ph/0110140•Physical Review Letters•Aug 8, 2002•223 citations

Double-Loop Microtrap Array for Ultracold Atoms

Bin Jian

A novel kind of magnetic microtrap is demonstrated for ultracold neutral atoms. It consists of two concentric loops of radii $r_1$ and $r_2$ having oppositely oriented currents. A magnetic field minimum is generated in three dimensions that can be used to trap the atoms with a trap depth of about 1 mK using a current of 2.6 A. The condition $r_2/r_1$ = 2.2 maximizes the restoring force on the atoms toward the trap center. Unlike conventional magnetic microtraps, an external bias field is not required. Moreover, a one dimensional array of double-loop microtraps can be created by daisy chaining single microtrap circuits. \nA linear array of three microtraps having $r_1$ = 300 $\\mu$m was fabricated as part of an atom chip. The following three techniques were developed to load the microtrap array: 1) atoms initially contained in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) were transported to the atom chip by a conventional magnetic trap, 2) atoms were first loaded into a mirror MOT and 3) atoms were initially loaded in a far off resonance optical dipole trap (FORT). Each technique loaded greater than $10^5$ $^{87}$Rb atoms into the microtrap array. The lowest temperature of 30 $\\mu$K for the microtrapped atom cloud was achieved using FORT loading. The strength and the position of the microtrap could be precisely adjusted over a range from 300 to 50 $\\mu$m above the atom chip surface by applying an external bias magnetic field. The lifetime of the atoms trapped in the microtrap array was measured to be 350 ms which was limited by the collisions with residual background gas.

•May 6, 2014•0 citations

Double-loop microtrap for ultracold atoms

Bin Jian, William Arie van Wijngaarden

A microtrap consisting of two concentric circular wire loops having radii of 300 and 660 μm, respectively, is demonstrated. The three-dimensional trap has a maximum depth of more than 1 mK, and the trap center position as measured below the atom chip surface can be adjusted by applying a small-bias magnetic field. More than 105 Rb87 atoms were transferred into the microtrap from a magneto-optical trap and remained trapped for several hundred milliseconds, which is limited by the background pressure. The loading of a linear array of three microtraps is also demonstrated. The trap dimensions are readily scaled to micrometer size, which is of interest for creating a one- and two-dimensional array of neutral atom traps on a single atom chip.

Journal of the Optical Society of America B•Jan 3, 2013•8 citations

An atom-by-atom assembler of defect-free arbitrary two-dimensional atomic arrays

Daniel Barredo, Sylvain de Léséleuc, Vincent Lienhard +2 more

Large arrays of individually controlled atoms trapped in optical tweezers are a very promising platform for quantum engineering applications. However, deterministic loading of the traps is experimentally challenging. We demonstrate the preparation of fully loaded two-dimensional arrays of up to ~50 microtraps, each containing a single atom and arranged in arbitrary geometries. Starting from initially larger, half-filled matrices of randomly loaded traps, we obtain user-defined target arrays at unit filling. This is achieved with a real-time control system and a moving optical tweezers, which together enable a sequence of rapid atom moves depending on the initial distribution of the atoms in the arrays. These results open exciting prospects for quantum engineering with neutral atoms in tunable two-dimensional geometries.

arXiv:1607.03042•Science•Nov 4, 2016•866 citations

Double-loop Microtrap for Ultracold Atoms

Bin Jian, William Arie van Wijngaarden

A microtrap consisting of two concentric circular wire loops having radii of 300 and 660 μm, respectively, is demonstrated. The three-dimensional trap has a maximum depth of more than 1 mK, and the trap center position as measured below the atom chip surface can be adjusted by applying a small-bias magnetic field. More than 105 Rb87 atoms were transferred into the microtrap from a magneto-optical trap and remained trapped for several hundred milliseconds, which is limited by the background pressure. The loading of a linear array of three microtraps is also demonstrated. The trap dimensions are readily scaled to micrometer size, which is of interest for creating a one- and two-dimensional array of neutral atom traps on a single atom chip.

Bulletin of the American Physical Society•Jun 5, 2013•0 citations
Arrays of trapped atoms are the ideal starting points for developing registers comprising large numbers of physical qubits for storing and processing quantum information. One very promising approach involves neutral atom traps produced on microfabricated devices known as atom chips, as almost arbitrary trap configurations can be realized in a robust and compact package. Until now, however, atom chip experiments have focused on small systems incorporating single or only a few individual traps. Here, we report experiments on a two-dimensional array of trapped ultracold atom clouds prepared using a simple magnetic-film atom chip. We are able to load atoms into hundreds of tightly confining and optically resolved array sites. We then cool the individual atom clouds in parallel to the critical temperature required for quantum degeneracy. Atoms are shuttled across the chip surface utilizing the atom chip as an atomic shift register and local manipulation of atoms is implemented using a focused laser to rapidly empty individual traps.
We report on the storage and manipulation of hundreds of mesoscopic ensembles of ultracold 87Rb atoms in a vast two-dimensional array of magnetic microtraps, defined lithographically in a permanently magnetized film. The atom numbers typically range from tens to hundreds of atoms per site. The traps are optically resolved using absorption imaging and individually addressed using a focused probe laser. We shift the entire array, without heating, along the surface by rotating an external bias field. We evaporatively cool the atoms to the critical temperature for quantum degeneracy. At the lowest temperatures, density dependent loss allows small and well defined numbers of atoms to be prepared in each microtrap. This microtrap array is a promising novel platform for quantum information processing, where hyperfine ground states act as qubit states, and Rydberg excitation may orchestrate interaction between neighbouring sites.
We experimentally demonstrate novel structures for the realization of registers of atomic qubits: We trap neutral atoms in one- and two-dimensional arrays of far-detuned dipole traps obtained by focusing a red-detuned laser beam with a microfabricated array of microlenses. We are able to selectively address individual trap sites due to their large lateral separation of 125 microm. We initialize and read out different internal states for the individual sites. We also create two interleaved sets of trap arrays with adjustable separation, as required for many proposed implementations of quantum gate operations.
A novel kind of magnetic microtrap is demonstrated for ultracold neutral atoms. It consists of two concentric loops of radii r1r_1r1​ and r2r_2r2​ having oppositely oriented currents. A magnetic field minimum is generated in three dimensions that can be used to trap the atoms with a trap depth of about 1 mK using a current of 2.6 A. The condition r2/r1r_2/r_1r2​/r1​ = 2.2 maximizes the restoring force on the atoms toward the trap center. Unlike conventional magnetic microtraps, an external bias field is not required. Moreover, a one dimensional array of double-loop microtraps can be created by daisy chaining single microtrap circuits. \nA linear array of three microtraps having r1r_1r1​ = 300 mu\\mumum was fabricated as part of an atom chip. The following three techniques were developed to load the microtrap array: 1) atoms initially contained in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) were transported to the atom chip by a conventional magnetic trap, 2) atoms were first loaded into a mirror MOT and 3) atoms were initially loaded in a far off resonance optical dipole trap (FORT). Each technique loaded greater than 10510^5105 87^{87}87Rb atoms into the microtrap array. The lowest temperature of 30 mu\\mumuK for the microtrapped atom cloud was achieved using FORT loading. The strength and the position of the microtrap could be precisely adjusted over a range from 300 to 50 mu\\mumum above the atom chip surface by applying an external bias magnetic field. The lifetime of the atoms trapped in the microtrap array was measured to be 350 ms which was limited by the collisions with residual background gas.
A microtrap consisting of two concentric circular wire loops having radii of 300 and 660 μm, respectively, is demonstrated. The three-dimensional trap has a maximum depth of more than 1 mK, and the trap center position as measured below the atom chip surface can be adjusted by applying a small-bias magnetic field. More than 105 Rb87 atoms were transferred into the microtrap from a magneto-optical trap and remained trapped for several hundred milliseconds, which is limited by the background pressure. The loading of a linear array of three microtraps is also demonstrated. The trap dimensions are readily scaled to micrometer size, which is of interest for creating a one- and two-dimensional array of neutral atom traps on a single atom chip.
Large arrays of individually controlled atoms trapped in optical tweezers are a very promising platform for quantum engineering applications. However, deterministic loading of the traps is experimentally challenging. We demonstrate the preparation of fully loaded two-dimensional arrays of up to ~50 microtraps, each containing a single atom and arranged in arbitrary geometries. Starting from initially larger, half-filled matrices of randomly loaded traps, we obtain user-defined target arrays at unit filling. This is achieved with a real-time control system and a moving optical tweezers, which together enable a sequence of rapid atom moves depending on the initial distribution of the atoms in the arrays. These results open exciting prospects for quantum engineering with neutral atoms in tunable two-dimensional geometries.
A microtrap consisting of two concentric circular wire loops having radii of 300 and 660 μm, respectively, is demonstrated. The three-dimensional trap has a maximum depth of more than 1 mK, and the trap center position as measured below the atom chip surface can be adjusted by applying a small-bias magnetic field. More than 105 Rb87 atoms were transferred into the microtrap from a magneto-optical trap and remained trapped for several hundred milliseconds, which is limited by the background pressure. The loading of a linear array of three microtraps is also demonstrated. The trap dimensions are readily scaled to micrometer size, which is of interest for creating a one- and two-dimensional array of neutral atom traps on a single atom chip.