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arXiv:2104.10026 · Physical Review Letters

Super-resolved Imaging of a Single Cold Atom on a Nanosecond Timescale

Zhong-Hua Qian, Jin-Ming Cui, Xi-Wang Luo, Yong-Xiang Zheng, Yun-Feng Huang, Ming-Zhong Ai, Ran He, Chuan-Feng Li, Guang-Can Guo

Published Dec 23, 2021• 17 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

In cold atomic systems, fast and high-resolution microscopy of individual atoms is crucial, since it can provide direct information on the dynamics and correlations of the system. Here, we demonstrate nanosecond-scale two-dimensional stroboscopic pictures of a single trapped ion beyond the optical diffraction limit, by combining the main idea of ground-state depletion microscopy with quantum-state transition control in cold atoms. We achieve a spatial resolution up to 175 nm using a NA=0.1 objective in the experiment, which represents a more than tenfold improvement compared with direct fluorescence imaging. To show the potential of this method, we apply it to observe the secular motion of the trapped ion; we demonstrate a temporal resolution up to 50 ns with a displacement detection sensitivity of 10 nm. Our method provides a powerful tool for probing particle positions, momenta, and correlations, as well as their dynamics in cold atomic systems.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.127.263603

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In cold atomic systems, fast and high-resolution microscopy of individual atoms is crucial, since it can provide direct information on the dynamics and correlations of the system. Here, we demonstrate nanosecond-scale two-dimensional stroboscopic pictures of a single trapped ion beyond the optical diffraction limit, by combining the main idea of ground-state depletion microscopy with quantum-state transition control in cold atoms. We achieve a spatial resolution up to 175 nm using a NA=0.1 objective in the experiment, which represents a more than tenfold improvement compared with direct fluorescence imaging. To show the potential of this method, we apply it to observe the secular motion of the trapped ion; we demonstrate a temporal resolution up to 50 ns with a displacement detection sensitivity of 10 nm. Our method provides a powerful tool for probing particle positions, momenta, and correlations, as well as their dynamics in cold atomic systems.
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Cold atoms are a quantum system well-isolated from the environment. Since the 80s, they have been used to make high-sensitivity atomic sensors and to deepen the understanding of quantum physics phenomena. At low temperatures, degenerate atomic gas regimes can be reached. They are characterized by a macroscopic quantum state that can be manipulated and controlled by lasers. Placing such atomic wave function in optical lattices provide a way to study the dynamics of complex many-body systems. In this context, diffraction-limited quantum gas microscopes have emerged as standard tools to probe such complex systems and to measure atomic density correlations between lattice sites. By further reducing the optical lattices dimensions, the energy scales are strongly enhanced and favor novel quantum phases. Such reduction of optical lattice dimensions requires novel trapping and imaging techniques to manipulate cold-atoms with subwavelength spatial resolutions.In this PhD thesis, we experimentally perform subwavelength imaging of ultra-cold atoms of Rubidium 87 using a dressed excited state method, initially proposed for generating subwavelength trapping potentials. The measurement are performed using in situ absorption imaging. A quantitative comparison of data and theory lead us to reinterprete and modify a method for atom number calibrations that is commonly used in the community. This reinterpretation requires a fine understanding of the interaction of a single quantum multi-level system and a coherent saturating field. The measurement of the in situ transmission of a coherent probe shows a linear reduction of the single-atom scattering cross-section with the optical density for which we propose a physical interpretation and a model. Once calibrated, we use our subwavelength imaging method that reaches down to 20 nm resolution in a few microseconds to super-resolve a tiny quantum object : the longitudinal wave function of a BEC in a very tight lattice.
Sub-micrometer light patterns play a pivotal role in biology, biophysics, and AMO physics, yet their in situ characterization is limited in spatial resolution and sensitivity. Here, we present an atom camera with a single ultracold atom in an optical tweezer as a scanning probe. Measuring the energy shift on the spin states with the long coherence time and polarization-sensitive transitions yields highly sensitive, high-resolution 2D imaging of both intensity and polarization ellipticity. We characterize the polarization of a tightly-focused beam, observing its non-trivial profile. The spatial resolution is fundamentally limited by the atom’s position uncertainty, suppressed down to quantum fluctuations (~25 nm) in the motional ground state of the tweezer, with an experimentally obtained upper bound of σ ≤ 96(4) nm. This method enables imaging beyond the diffraction limit, surpassing previous approaches limited by thermal fluctuations of the atom, and provides a powerful tool for designing and analyzing submicron-scale light patterns. In situ super-resolution imaging of light has inherent limitations when applied to the polarization profile. Here, the authors introduce an “atom camera” approach by means of a single tweezer-trapped 87Rb atom measuring the field-induced shifts at sub-micrometer steps, achieving resolution beyond the optical diffraction limit.
We report on an ion-optical system that serves as a microscope for ultracold ground state and Rydberg atoms. The system is designed to achieve a magnification of up to 1000 and a spatial resolution in the 100 nm range, thereby surpassing many standard imaging techniques for cold atoms. The microscope consists of four electrostatic lenses and a microchannel plate in conjunction with a delay line detector in order to achieve single particle sensitivity with high temporal and spatial resolution. We describe the design process of the microscope including ion-optical simulations of the imaging system and characterize aberrations and the resolution limit. Furthermore, we present the experimental realization of the microscope in a cold atom setup and investigate its performance by patterned ionization with a structure size down to 2.7 μ m. The microscope meets the requirements for studying various many-body effects, ranging from correlations in cold quantum gases up to Rydberg molecule formation.
Our knowledge on ultracold quantum gases is strongly influenced by our ability to probe these objects. In situ imaging combined with single atom sensitivity is an especially appealing scenario as it can provide direct information on the structure and the correlations of such systems. For a precise characterization a high spatial resolution is mandatory. In particular, the perspective to study quantum gases in optical lattices makes a resolution well below one micrometer highly desirable. Here, we report on a novel microscopy technique which is based on scanning electron microscopy and allows for the detection of single atoms inside a quantum gas with a spatial resolution of better than 150 nm. Imaging a Bose-Einstein condensate in a one-dimensional optical lattice with 600 nm period we demonstrate single site addressability in a sub-um optical lattice. The technique offers exciting possibilities for the preparation, manipulation and analysis of quantum gases.
Quantum simulations with ultracold atoms typically create atomic wavefunctions with structures at optical length scales, where direct imaging suffers from the diffraction limit. In analogy to advances in optical microscopy for biological applications, we use a non-linear atomic response to surpass the diffraction limit. Exploiting quantum interference, we demonstrate imaging with super-resolution of λ/50 and excellent temporal resolution of 500 ns. We characterize our microscope's performance by measuring the ensemble averaged probability density of atoms within the unit cells of an optical lattice, and observe the dynamics of atoms excited into motion. This approach can be readily applied to image any atomic or molecular system, as long as it hosts a three-level system.