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Quantum Electronics

Trapping and detection of single rubidium atoms in an optical dipole trap using a long-focus objective lens

Ilya I. Beterov, Elena A. Yakshina, Denis B. Tretyakov, Vasily M. Entin, U. Singh, Ya.V. Kudlaev, K. Yu. Mityanin, K.A. Panov, N. V. Al’yanova, I. I. Ryabtsev

Published Jun 1, 2020• 9 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract The trapping of single atoms in optical dipole traps is widely used in experiments on the implementation of quantum processors based on neutral atoms, and studying interatomic interactions. Typically, such experiments employ lenses with a large numerical aperture (NA > 0.5), highly sensitive EMCCD cameras, or photon counters. In this work, we demonstrate trapping and detection of single rubidium atoms using a long-focus objective lens with a numerical aperture NA = 0.172 and a FLir Tau CNV sCMOS camera.

DOI
10.1070/qel17336

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Abstract The trapping of single atoms in optical dipole traps is widely used in experiments on the implementation of quantum processors based on neutral atoms, and studying interatomic interactions. Typically, such experiments employ lenses with a large numerical aperture (NA > 0.5), highly sensitive EMCCD cameras, or photon counters. In this work, we demonstrate trapping and detection of single rubidium atoms using a long-focus objective lens with a numerical aperture NA = 0.172 and a FLir Tau CNV sCMOS camera.
Abstract Single alkali-metal atoms in arrays of optical dipole traps represent a quantum register that can be used for quantum computation and simulation based on short-term Rydberg excitations, which switch the interactions between qubits. To load single atoms into optical dipole traps and then detect them by resonance fluorescence, lenses with a large numerical aperture (NA > 0.5) inside a vacuum chamber and expensive EMCCD cameras are commonly used. We present our recent experimental results on demonstrating the trapping of single 87Rb atoms using a long-focus objective lens with a low numerical aperture (NA = 0.172) placed outside the vacuum chamber, and detecting single atoms with a low-cost sCMOS camera. We also present our current results on implementing a single-qubit gate based on optical pumping and subsequent microwave transition between two hyperfine sublevels of a single 87Rb atom with fidelity near 95%.
We present an optical system designed to capture and observe a single neutral atom in an optical dipole trap, created by focusing a laser beam using a large-numerical-aperture (NA=0.5)(\mathrm{NA}=0.5)(NA=0.5) aspheric lens. We experimentally evaluate the performance of the optical system and show that it is diffraction limited over a broad spectral range $(\ensuremath{\sim}200\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm})$ with a large transverse field $(\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}25\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m})$. The optical tweezer created at the focal point of the lens is able to trap single atoms of 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb and to detect them individually with a large collection efficiency. We measure the oscillation frequency of the atom in the dipole trap and use this value as an independent determination of the waist of the optical tweezer. Finally, we produce with the same lens two dipole traps separated by $2.2\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$ and show that the imaging system can resolve the two atoms.
Abstract The results of experiments on the implementation of single-qubit quantum gates with a single 87Rb atom in an optical dipole trap with a wavelength of 850 nm are presented. The trap is formed by a long focal-length objective lens located outside the vacuum chamber of a magneto-optical trap. An atom is detected using a resonance fluorescence signal with an sCMOS video camera. The experiments involved the trapping and confinement of a single atom at times up to 50 s, optical pumping by polarized laser radiation, microwave transitions between two hyperfine sublevels of the ground state, and the measurement of the quantum state of the atom by pushing it from the trap. Rabi oscillations are observed during the “clock” microwave transition 5S1/2(F = 2, MF = 0) → 5S1/2(F = 1, MF = 0) between two operating qubit levels at a frequency of up to 4.2 kHz, a contrast of up to 95%, and a coherence time of up to 3 ms. These oscillations correspond to the implementation of two basic single-qubit quantum operations (Hadamard gate, NOT gate) from various initial qubit states with an average fidelity of 95.2 ± 3%.
Optical metasurfaces of subwavelength pillars have provided new capabilities for the versatile definition of the amplitude, phase, and polarization of light.In this work, we demonstrate that an efficient dielectric metasurface lens can be used to trap and image single neutral atoms with a long working distance from the lens of 3 mm.We characterize the high-numerical-aperture optical tweezers using the trapped atoms and compare with numerical computations of the metasurface-lens performance.We predict that future metasurfaces for atom trapping will be able to leverage multiple ongoing developments in metasurface design and enable multifunctional control in complex quantum information experiments with neutral-atom arrays.