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arXiv:2610.25020

Fast and High-Fidelity Motional-State-Preserving Transport in Optical Tweezers

Wen-hao Wang, Jian-gong Hu, Guang-ming Huang, Gao-xiang Li, Cheng Sheng

physics.atom-phquant-phSubmitted Oct 18, 2026• Announced Oct 20, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

Reconfigurable neutral-atom processors require rapid, high-fidelity transport of atoms between optical-tweezer sites. In finite-depth Gaussian traps, fast motion can leave residual motional excitation even when the atom reaches its destination. We develop a basis-parameterized gradient-ascent pulse-engineering (GRAPE) framework for one-dimensional transport of a single $^{87}$Rb atom. A shortcut-to-adiabaticity reference is refined using 17 trajectory parameters, with ten additional parameters providing bounded trap-depth modulation; depth affects both confinement and the inverse construction of the physical trap center. For a $12.6\,μ$m transfer completed in only $30.5\,μ$s, corresponding to approximately $2.75$ periods of the reference trap, the selected joint protocol achieves a ground-state infidelity of $2.41\times10^{-7}$. Because preparing an exactly pure motional ground state is experimentally challenging, we also optimize population-weighted transport for initial distributions with mean vibrational occupations $\nbar\simeq0.16$ and $1.87$, reaching same-state probabilities of about $0.99993$ and $0.9934$. Trap-depth fluctuations can further degrade transport fidelity. Robust optimization under a measurement-informed depth-noise model improves the mean error, worst sampled error, and fidelity dispersion for the specified noise realizations. Coordinated control of tweezer position and confinement thus offers a route to rapid transport with low residual excitation for flexible atom rearrangement and dynamic connectivity in neutral-atom processors.

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Reconfigurable neutral-atom processors require rapid, high-fidelity transport of atoms between optical-tweezer sites. In finite-depth Gaussian traps, fast motion can leave residual motional excitation even when the atom reaches its destination. We develop a basis-parameterized gradient-ascent pulse-engineering (GRAPE) framework for one-dimensional transport of a single 87^{87}87Rb atom. A shortcut-to-adiabaticity reference is refined using 17 trajectory parameters, with ten additional parameters providing bounded trap-depth modulation; depth affects both confinement and the inverse construction of the physical trap center. For a 12.6 μ12.6\,μ12.6μm transfer completed in only 30.5 μ30.5\,μ30.5μs, corresponding to approximately 2.752.752.75 periods of the reference trap, the selected joint protocol achieves a ground-state infidelity of 2.41×10−72.41\times10^{-7}2.41×10−7. Because preparing an exactly pure motional ground state is experimentally challenging, we also optimize population-weighted transport for initial distributions with mean vibrational occupations \nbar≃0.16\nbar\simeq0.16\nbar≃0.16 and 1.871.871.87, reaching same-state probabilities of about 0.999930.999930.99993 and 0.99340.99340.9934. Trap-depth fluctuations can further degrade transport fidelity. Robust optimization under a measurement-informed depth-noise model improves the mean error, worst sampled error, and fidelity dispersion for the specified noise realizations. Coordinated control of tweezer position and confinement thus offers a route to rapid transport with low residual excitation for flexible atom rearrangement and dynamic connectivity in neutral-atom processors.
We study the optimization of the transport and transfer of neutral atoms between optical tweezers, both critical steps in the implementation of quantum computers and simulators. We analyze four experimentally relevant pulse shapes (piecewise linear, piecewise quadratic, minimum jerk, and a combination of linear and minimum jerk), and we also develop a protocol using shortcuts-to-adiabaticity (STA) methods to crucially incorporate the time-dependent effects of static traps. By computing a measure of the final transport error and two measures of the heating during transport, we show that our proposed STA protocol comprehensively outperforms all the experimentally inspired pulses. After further optimizing the pulse shapes, we find a lower bound on the protocol duration, compatible with the time at which the vibrational excitations exceed half of the states hosted by the moving tweezer. This lower bound is at least eight times faster than the one reported in recent experiments, which highlights the importance of including and optimizing the transfer from and to static traps, which may be the largest bottleneck to speed. Finally, our STA results demonstrate that a modulation in the depth of the moving tweezer designed to time-dependently counteract the effect of the static traps is key to reducing errors and reducing the pulse duration. To motivate the implementation of our STA pulses in future experiments, we provide a simple analytical approximation for the moving-tweezer position and depth controls.
Arrays of neutral-atom qubits in optical tweezers are a promising platform for quantum computation. Despite experimental progress, a major roadblock for realizing neutral atom quantum computation is the qubit initialization. Here we propose that supersymmetry---a theoretical framework developed in particle physics---can be used for ultra-high fidelity initialization of neutral-atom qubits. We show that a single atom can be deterministically prepared in the vibrational ground state of an optical tweezer by adiabatically extracting all excited atoms to a supersymmetric auxiliary tweezer with the post-selection measurement of its atomic number. The scheme works for both bosonic and fermionic atom qubits trapped in realistic Gaussian optical tweezers and may pave the way for realizing large scale quantum computation, simulation and information processing with neutral atoms.
Schrödinger cat states - quantum superpositions of classically or macroscopically distinct states - constitute a powerful resource for quantum computing, enhanced metrology, and probing coherence on large scales. Encoding such states in the phase space of an oscillator requires a nonlinearity, typically inherited from an auxiliary degree of freedom such as atomic spin or a Josephson junction. Neutral atoms trapped in reconfigurable optical tweezer arrays - a leading platform for quantum science and computing - provide an intrinsic nonlinearity via the motion of a single atom in a tightly focused trap. However, this self-Kerr mechanism has not previously been exploited for cat-state generation, and remains largely unexplored as a resource for motional-state control. Here we realize Schrödinger cat states in the quantized motion of a single neutral atom trapped in an optical tweezer. By modulating the depth and position, we demonstrate parity control of both Kerr-cat and Fock states alongside tunable nonlinearity, establishing a spin- and species-independent framework for controlling motion. We further show that the cat-state encoding is intrinsically robust against trap-frequency fluctuations that otherwise limit the fidelity of direct Fock-state transitions. These results establish Kerr-based control of neutral-atom motion as a new paradigm for cat-state and bosonic-state engineering in optical tweezers, providing a route toward quantum-error-correcting codes such as grid states, and toward quantum-enhanced sensing with arrays of non-Gaussian states.
Arrays of neutral-atom qubits in optical tweezers are a promising platform for quantum computation. Despite experimental progress, a major roadblock for realizing neutral-atom quantum computation is the qubit initialization. Here we propose that supersymmetry, a theoretical framework developed in particle physics, can be used for ultrahigh-fidelity initialization of neutral-atom qubits. We show that a single atom can be deterministically prepared in the vibrational ground state of an optical tweezer by adiabatically extracting all excited atoms to a supersymmetric auxiliary tweezer. The scheme works for both bosonic and fermionic atom qubits trapped in realistic Gaussian optical tweezers and may pave the way for realizing large-scale quantum computation, simulation, and information processing with neutral atoms.
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.
Programmable neutral-atom arrays offer a promising route toward scalable quantum computing, where coherent qubit transfer enables non-local connectivity and reduces resource overhead. However, transfer speed and motional heating remain key bottlenecks for fast and deep quantum circuits. Here, we employ a fiber array neutral-atom quantum computing architecture with site-resolved control of trap depths to realize smooth amplitude exchange between static and moving traps, thereby enabling fast and coherent qubit transfer with ultralow motional heating. With a 10 μμμs in situ transfer between static and moving traps, we obtain a per-cycle heating rate of 0.156(9) μμμK, sustain over 500 cycles with negligible atom loss, and achieve a quantum state fidelity of 0.99992(5) per cycle. For inter-site transfer between two separated static traps, the operation takes 120 μμμs with 0.783(17) μμμK heating per transfer, and remains negligible atom loss for up to 100 repeated cycles with a fidelity of 0.9998(1) per transfer. Furthermore, through experimental studies of parallel transfer, we establish a model that elucidates the relationship between array inhomogeneity and the transfer heating rate. This fast, low-heating coherent transfer capability provides a practical route for improving both speed and fidelity in atom-shuttling based quantum computing.