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arXiv:2212.01037 · Optica

Optical tweezers throw and catch single atoms

Hansub Hwang, Andrew Byun, Juyoung Park, Sylvain de Léséleuc, Jaewook Ahn

Published Feb 13, 2023• 31 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Single atoms movable from one place to another would enable a flying quantum memory that can be useful for dynamic quantum computing architectures. Guided atoms, e.g., by optical tweezers, provide a partial solution, but the benefit of flying qubits could be lost if they still interact with the guiding means. Here we propose and experimentally demonstrate freely flying atoms that are not guided but instead thrown and caught by optical tweezers. We provide a set of proof-of-principle flying atom demonstrations, which include atom transport through optical tweezers, atom arrangements by flying atoms, and atom scattering off optical tweezers. In experiments, cold rubidium atoms at 40 µK temperature are thrown by accelerating optical tweezers, freely fly with up to a speed of 0.65 m/s and free-flying distance of 4.2 µm, and are recaptured and stopped by decelerating optical tweezers at a transportation efficiency of 94(3)%. Flying atoms suggest possible applications such as defect correction in a tweezer trap atom array, fast atom-array formation, Rydberg-atom collision studies, and dynamic quantum computing architectures.

DOI
10.1364/optica.480535

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Single atoms movable from one place to another would enable a flying quantum memory that can be useful for dynamic quantum computing architectures. Guided atoms, e.g., by optical tweezers, provide a partial solution, but the benefit of flying qubits could be lost if they still interact with the guiding means. Here we propose and experimentally demonstrate freely flying atoms that are not guided but instead thrown and caught by optical tweezers. We provide a set of proof-of-principle flying atom demonstrations, which include atom transport through optical tweezers, atom arrangements by flying atoms, and atom scattering off optical tweezers. In experiments, cold rubidium atoms at 40 µK temperature are thrown by accelerating optical tweezers, freely fly with up to a speed of 0.65 m/s and free-flying distance of 4.2 µm, and are recaptured and stopped by decelerating optical tweezers at a transportation efficiency of 94(3)%. Flying atoms suggest possible applications such as defect correction in a tweezer trap atom array, fast atom-array formation, Rydberg-atom collision studies, and dynamic quantum computing architectures.
Movable single atoms have drawn significant attention for their potential as flying quantum memory in non-local, dynamic quantum computing architectures. However, when dynamic optical tweezers are employed to control atoms opto-mechanically, conventional methods such as adiabatic controls and constant jerk controls are either inherently slow or induce mechanical heating, leading to atom loss over long distances or at high speeds. To address these challenges, we explore the method known as shortcuts to adiabaticity (STA) as an efficient alternative for fast and reliable atom transport. We present a series of proof-of-concept experiments demonstrating that STA-based optical tweezer trajectories can achieve both rapid and reliable single-atom transport. These experiments include moving atoms between two locations, adjusting speeds en route, and navigating curved trajectories. Our results indicate that atoms can be transported with a constant acceleration on average over distances that is only limited by trap lifetime, while effectively suppressing vibrational heating. This makes STA methods particularly well-suited for long-distance atom transport, potentially spanning distances over centimeter scales, such as between quantum information devices.
Single atoms are promising candidates for physically implementing quantum bits, the fundamental unit of quantum information. We have built an apparatus for cooling, trapping and imaging single rubidium atoms in microscopic optical tweezers. The traps are formed from a tightly focused off-resonant laser beam, which traps atoms using the optical dipole force. The traps have a diameter of ~1 μm and a depth of ~1 mK. The novelty of our approach is the use a digital mirror device (DMD) to generate multiple independently movable tweezers from a single laser beam. The DMD consists of an array of micro-mirrors that can be switched on and off, thus acting as a binary amplitude modulator. We use the DMD to imprint a computer-generated hologram on the laser beam, which is converted in to the desired arrangement of traps in the focal plane of a lens. We have developed fast algorithms for calculating binary holograms suitable for the DMD. In addition, we use this method to measure and correct for errors in the phase of the wavefront caused by optical aberrations, which is necessary for producing diffraction-limited focal spots. Using this apparatus, we have trapped arrays of up to 20 atoms with arbitrary geometrical arrangements. We exploit light-assisted collisions between atoms to ensure there is at most one atom per trapping site. We measure the temperature of the atoms in the traps to be 12 μK, and their lifetime to be 1.4 s. Finally, we demonstrate the ability to select individual atoms from an array and transport them over a distance of 14μm with laser cooling, and 5 μm without.
We demonstrate the trapping and manipulation of single neutral atoms in reconfigurable arrays of optical tweezers. Our approach offers unparalleled speed by using a Texas instruments digital micro-mirror device as a holographic amplitude modulator with a frame rate of 20 000 per second. We show the trapping of static arrays of up to 20 atoms, as well as transport of individually selected atoms over a distance of 25 μ m with laser cooling and 4 μ m without. We discuss the limitations of the technique and the scope for technical improvements.
Trapped atoms near nanophotonics form an exciting platform for bottom-up synthesis of strongly interacting quantum matter. The ability to induce tunable long-range atom-atom interactions with photons presents an opportunity to explore many-body physics and quantum optics. Here we implement a configurable optical tweezer array over a planar photonic circuit tailored for cold atom integration and control for trapping and high-fidelity imaging of one or more atoms in an array directly on a photonic structure. Using an optical conveyor belt formed by a moving optical lattice within a tweezer potential, we show that single atoms can be transported from a reservoir into close proximity of a photonic interface, potentially allowing for the synthesis of a defect-free atom-nanophotonic hybrid lattice. Our experimental platform can be integrated with generic planar photonic waveguides and resonators, promising a pathway towards on-chip many-body quantum optics and applications in quantum technology.
ABSTRACT We introduce and experimentally demonstrate an energy‐efficient method for holding and rearranging an array of atoms using only optical tweezers. Our approach employs a single optical tweezer that sequentially releases and recaptures individual atoms. By applying a stroboscopic harmonic potential, we maintain the phase‐space quadrature of each atom's probability distribution during this “blinking” process, provided the trap frequency meets specific conditions. In our proof‐of‐concept experiments, we show that a blinking tweezer can hold atoms using just of the optical power per atom and further facilitate rearrangement atoms in various configurations. With further technical improvements, such as ground‐state cooling and correction for trap anharmonicities, this technique is expected to be scaled up to around atoms in our setup. This method provides a scalable and reconfigurable platform for optical tweezer arrays, with potential applications in assembling and manipulating large‐scale quantum systems.
Optical tweezer arrays of neutral atoms have emerged as a versatile and powerful platform for quantum simulation and quantum information processing. In this thesis, I present the realization of an experimental platform for quantum simulation based on individually trapped strontium atoms in optical tweezer arrays. The experiment combines precise laser cooling, optical control, and high-resolution imaging to enable the manipulation and high fidelity detection of single atoms. I developed and optimized a two-stage three-dimensional magneto-optical trap (3D-MOT) that produces cold and dense samples of strontium atoms from a thermal beam. In the f irst stage, atoms are captured and precooled using the dipole-allowed 1S0 → 1P1 transition at 461nm (which has a linewidth of !=2ω ↑ 32MHz). The second stage employs the 1S0 → 3P1 narrow intercombination transition at 689nm (with a linewidth of !=2ω ↑7.5kHz) to further cool and compress the atomic cloud. By optimizing the trapping parameters, I achieved clouds with temperatures around 5μK and densities above 1010cm→3, providing ideal initial conditions for e!cient loading into optical tweezers. A 3↑3 array of 360μK deep optical tweezers is generated by spatially modulating an 813.4nm laser beam using two crossed acousto-optic deflectors. The deflected beams are relayed and focused into the science chamber using a high–numericalaperture objective, which simultaneously serves as the collection optics for atomic f luorescence. The fluorescence light emitted by the atoms is imaged onto a scientific qCMOS camera, enabling site-resolved detection of individual atoms. I implemented and optimized the in-trap cooling dynamics to prevent atom loss during imaging and to minimize residual thermal motion. In addition, by precisely tuning lightassisted collisions, multiple atoms occupancies are removed from the traps and a single-atom regime is reached in the array, with a filling fraction of about 50%. I have demonstrated a single-atom detection fidelity of 99,986(1)% and a survival probability of 97(2)% between subsequent image acquisition, comparable to other current state-of-the-art experiments. To characterize the platform, I carried out release-and-recapture experiments, from which it is possible to measure a temperature for the individually trapped atoms of 12.95(5)μK. These results demonstrate the successful implementation of a robust and high-fidelity platform for optical trapping and imaging of single strontium atoms. The apparatus provides the foundation for future quantum simulation experiments with alkalineearth atoms excited to the Rydberg state, o"ering precise control over individual particles and the ability to scale towards larger, programmable atomic arrays.