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arXiv:2609.25245

A dual-region ytterbium tweezer apparatus with an in-vacuum nanofiber cavity

Shunichiro Hashimoto, Hideki Ozawa, Yusuke Hisai, Takao Aoki, Ryotaro Inoue

quant-phSubmitted Sep 21, 2026• Announced Sep 23, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

We present a dual-region experimental apparatus for trapping single atoms of the fermionic isotope ytterbium-171 (${}^{171}\mathrm{Yb}$) with optical tweezers in a science chamber containing an in-vacuum nanofiber cavity. A source region is located approximately $240\,\mathrm{mm}$ from the science chamber, preserving optical access around the chamber for high-numerical-aperture tweezer optics. A pulsed transport sequence based on longitudinal moving molasses launches atomic pulses toward the science chamber, where they are decelerated and recaptured in a magneto-optical trap. We subsequently load single atoms into a $2\times2$ tweezer array located approximately $50\,\mathrm{μm}$ from the nanofiber and measure a $1/e$ lifetime of $9.5(7)\,\mathrm{s}$. These results demonstrate that the dual-region architecture provides sufficient ${}^{171}\mathrm{Yb}$ atoms for single-atom tweezer operation near an in-vacuum nanofiber cavity.

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Abstract We report on the trapping and imaging of individual ytterbium atoms in arrays of optical tweezers, loaded from a magneto-optical trap (MOT) formed by only five beams in an orthogonal configuration. In our five-beam MOT, operating on the narrow 1 S 0 → 3 P 1 intercombination transition, gravity balances the radiation pressure of a single upward-directed beam. This approach enables efficient trapping and cooling of the most common ytterbium isotopes ( 171 Yb, 173 Yb and 174 Yb) to ≲ 20 μ K at densities ∼ 10 11 atoms cm −3 within less than one second. This configuration allows for significantly reducing the complexity of the optical setup, potentially benefiting any ytterbium-atom based quantum science platform leveraging single-atom microscopy, from quantum processors to novel optical clocks. We then demonstrate the first single-atom-resolved imaging of the fermionic, large-spin isotope 173 Yb ( I = 5 / 2 ), employing a two-color imaging scheme that does not rely on magic-wavelength trapping. We achieve a high single-atom imaging fidelity of 99.96 ( 1 ) % and a large survival probability of 98.5 ( 2 ) % , despite large differential light shifts affecting all nuclear spin sublevels of the excited 3 P
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We report on the trapping of single Rb\mathrm{Rb}Rb atoms in tunable arrays of optical tweezers in a cryogenic environment at approximately 4 K. We describe the design and construction of the experimental apparatus, based on a custom-made UHV-compatible closed-cycle cryostat with optical access. We demonstrate the trapping of single atoms in cryogenic arrays of optical tweezers, with lifetimes up to 6000 s, despite the fact that the vacuum system has not been baked out. These results open the way to large arrays of single atoms with extended coherence, for applications in large-scale quantum simulation of many-body systems and, more generally, in quantum science and technology.
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We report on the trapping of single Rb atoms in tunable arrays of optical tweezers in a cryogenic environment at ∼4\sim 4∼4 K. We describe the design and construction of the experimental apparatus, based on a custom-made, UHV compatible, closed-cycle cryostat with optical access. We demonstrate the trapping of single atoms in cryogenic arrays of optical tweezers, with lifetimes in excess of 300 s, despite the fact that the vacuum system has not been baked out. These results open the way to large arrays of single atoms with extended coherence, for applications in large-scale quantum simulation of many-body systems, and more generally in quantum science and technology.