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arXiv:2406.06721

Alignment and Optimisation of Optical Tweezers on Trapped Ions

M. Mazzanti, Clara Robalo Pereira, N. A. Diepeveen, Bas Gerritsen, Zhenlin Wu, Z. E. D. Ackerman, L. P. H. Gallagher, Arghavan Safavi-Naini, R. Gerritsma, Rima X. Schüssler

Published Jun 10, 2024• 0 citations
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Abstract

This paper presents a routine to align an optical tweezer on a single trapped ion and use the ion as a probe to characterize the tweezer. We find a smallest tweezer waist of $2.3(2)\,μ$m, which is in agreement with the theoretical minimal attainable waist of $2.5(2)\,μ$m in our setup. We characterize the spatial dependence of the tweezer Rabi frequency which is suppressed by a factor of 19(3) in the immediate surrounding of the ion. We investigate the effects of optical forces and coherent population trapping on the ion. Finally, we show that the challenges posed by these forces can be overcome, and that the number of tweezers can be easily scaled up to reach several ions by using a spatial light modulator.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2406.06721

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This paper presents a routine to align an optical tweezer on a single trapped ion and use the ion as a probe to characterize the tweezer. We find a smallest tweezer waist of 2.3(2) μ2.3(2)\,μ2.3(2)μm, which is in agreement with the theoretical minimal attainable waist of 2.5(2) μ2.5(2)\,μ2.5(2)μm in our setup. We characterize the spatial dependence of the tweezer Rabi frequency which is suppressed by a factor of 19(3) in the immediate surrounding of the ion. We investigate the effects of optical forces and coherent population trapping on the ion. Finally, we show that the challenges posed by these forces can be overcome, and that the number of tweezers can be easily scaled up to reach several ions by using a spatial light modulator.
This paper presents a routine to align an optical tweezer on a single trapped ion and use the ion as a probe to characterize the tweezer. We find a smallest tweezer waist of $2.3(2)\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\textmu{}\mathrm{m}$, which is in agreement with the theoretical minimal attainable waist of $2.5(2)\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\textmu{}\mathrm{m}$ in our setup. We characterize the spatial dependence of the tweezer pattern in terms of its Rabi frequency on an optical transition in the ion. We find a peak Rabi frequency of 390(70)MHz390(70)\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\mathrm{MHz}390(70)MHz in the center of the tweezer and a suppression factor of 19(3) in the immediate surrounding of the ion. We investigate the effects of optical forces and coherent population trapping on the ion. We show that the challenges posed by these forces can be overcome, and that the number of tweezers can be easily scaled up to reach several ions by using a spatial light modulator.
Abstract As it has been demonstrated that trapped ion systems have unmatched long-lived quantum-bit (qubit) coherence and can support high-fidelity quantum manipulations, how to scale up the system size becomes an inevitable task for practical purposes. In this work, we theoretically analyse the physical limitation of scalability with a trapped ion array, and propose a feasible scheme of architecture that in principle allows an arbitrary number of ion qubits, for which the overhead only scales linearly with the system size. This scheme relies on the combined ideas of a trap architecture of tunable size, stabilisation of an ion crystal by optical tweezers, and continuous sympathetic cooling without touching the stored information. We demonstrate that illumination of optical tweezers modifies the motional spectrum by effectively pinning the ions, lifting the frequencies of the motional ground modes. By doing so, we make the structure of the array less vulnerable from thermal excitations, and suppress the position fluctuations to insure faithful gate operations. Finally, we also explore the local behaviour of cooling when a sub-array is isolated by optical tweezers from other parts of the crystal.
The ability to program and control interactions provides the key to implementing large-scale quantum simulation and computation in trapped-ion systems. Adding optical tweezers, which can tune the phonon spectrum and thus modify the phonon-mediated spin-spin interaction, was recently proposed as a way of programing quantum simulators for a broader range of spin models [Arias Espinoza et al., Phys. Rev. A 104, 013302 (2021)]. In this work we study the robustness of our findings in the presence of experimental imperfections: micromotion, local stress, and intensity noise. We show that the effects of micromotion can be easily circumvented when designing and optimizing tweezer patterns to generate a target interaction. Furthermore, while local stress, whereby the tweezers apply small forces on individual ions, may appear to enable further tuning of the spin-spin interactions, any additional flexibility is negligible. We conclude that optical tweezers are a useful method for controlling interactions in trapped-ion quantum simulators in the presence of micromotion and imperfections in the tweezer alignment, but require intensity stabilization on the subpercent level.
Ion traps and optical tweezers have emerged as highly promising technologies in the development of quantum computing, enabling precise control over qubits through electromagnetic and optical confinement. This paper explores the fundamental principles, advantages, and limitations of ion traps, including Paul and Penning configurations, and evaluates their role in modern quantum architectures. Particular emphasis is placed on coherence time, fidelity, and all-to-all connectivity, which make trapped ions a leading qubit candidate despite challenges in scalability and optical complexity. The work also examines optical tweezers, which use tightly focused laser beams to trap and manipulate ions and atoms with high precision, facilitating scalable arrays of qubits. Furthermore, hybrid traps that integrate optical tweezers with Paul traps are discussed as promising solutions to mitigate Radio-Frequency (RF) micromotion and enhance stability for cold ion–atom systems. Python-based simulations are presented to illustrate ion dynamics under Brownian motion, electric fields, and Gaussian laser traps, demonstrating how trap strength directly affects oscillation amplitude and confinement. Results confirm that stronger optical potentials reduce oscillation amplitude, while weaker traps lead to ion escape, aligning with theoretical predictions. Overall, this study highlights how the interplay of electromagnetic and optical techniques advances the frontier of quantum information science, with direct implications for computation, communication, and simulation.
We demonstrate a state-dependent Gaussian gate set on the motional modes of trapped 40^{40}40Ca+^++ ions, realized with an optical tweezer. Dynamic control of the tweezer intensity and position enables local displacement, squeezing, phase-space rotation, and beamsplitter operations, constituting a complete gate set. By varying the tweezer position relative to the ion, we show how the strength of each operation is set by the corresponding spatial derivative of the local optical potential. We further demonstrate the inherent dependence of each operation on the ion's internal state and use coherent spin-motion coupling provided by the tweezer to create a motional cat state. Our work establishes optical tweezers as a unified and local resource for continuous-variable quantum control in trapped ion systems.