arXiv:1706.10021 · Physical Review A
Subpicosecond X rotations of atomic clock states
Yunheung Song, Han-gyeol Lee, Hyosub Kim, Hanlae Jo, Jaewook Ahn
Abstract
We demonstrate subpicosecond-timescale population transfer between the pair of hyperfine ground states of atomic rubidium using a single laser-pulse. Our scheme utilizes the geometric and dynamic phases induced during Rabi oscillation through the fine-structure excited state to construct an $X$ rotation gate for the hyperfine-state qubit system. The experiment performed with a femtosecond laser and cold rubidium atoms, in a magnetooptical trap, shows over 98% maximal population transfer between the clock states.