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Science

Trap and isolate to extend quantum lifetime

Ian S. Osborne

Published Aug 20, 2020• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Quantum Sensing The coherence time of a quantum system is an important parameter in the development of technologies that exploit the sensitive nature of quantum mechanics. Rubidium atoms have quantum mechanical spin, each atom behaving like a tiny magnetic compass, which makes them exquisitely sensitive to local fluctuations in the magnetic field. Upadhyay et al. trapped single rubidium atoms in an ultracold parahydrogen matrix and then applied a sequence of pulses that further decoupled them from their immediate decoherence-inducing environment. With this trap-and-isolate protocol, the coherence lifetime of the rubidium atoms can be extended to a fraction of a second. The authors suggest that co-trapping a single molecule alongside a single rubidium atom could provide a platform for single-molecule nuclear magnetic resonance studies and the development of other quantum sensing technologies. Phys. Rev. Lett. 125 , 043601 (2020).

DOI
10.1126/science.369.6506.931-e

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Quantum Sensing
The coherence time of a quantum system is an important parameter in the development of technologies that exploit the sensitive nature of quantum mechanics. Rubidium atoms have quantum mechanical spin, each atom behaving like a tiny magnetic compass, which makes them exquisitely sensitive to local fluctuations in the magnetic field. Upadhyay et al. trapped single rubidium atoms in an ultracold parahydrogen matrix and then applied a sequence of pulses that further decoupled them from their immediate decoherence-inducing environment. With this trap-and-isolate protocol, the coherence lifetime of the rubidium atoms can be extended to a fraction of a second. The authors suggest that co-trapping a single molecule alongside a single rubidium atom could provide a platform for single-molecule nuclear magnetic resonance studies and the development of other quantum sensing technologies.
Phys. Rev. Lett. 125 , 043601 (2020).
Coherence time is an essential parameter for quantum sensing, quantum information, and quantum computation. In this work, we demonstrate electron spin coherence times as long as 0.1 s for an ensemble of rubidium atoms trapped in a solid parahydrogen matrix. We explore the underlying physics limiting the coherence time. The properties of these matrix isolated atoms are very promising for future applications, including quantum sensing of nuclear spins. If combined with efficient single-atom readout, this would enable NMR and magnetic resonance imaging of single molecules cotrapped with alkali-metal atom quantum sensors within a parahydrogen matrix.
In this work, we measure the properties of ensembles of rubidium atoms trapped in solid neon that are relevant for use as quantum sensors of magnetic fields: the spin coherence of the trapped atoms and the ability to optically control and measure their spin state. We use the rubidium atoms as an AC magnetometer---by employing an appropriate dynamical decoupling sequence---and demonstrate NMR detection of 21Ne^{21}\mathrm{Ne}21Ne atoms co-trapped in the neon matrix.
In this work, we optically resolve and detect individual rubidium atoms trapped in solid neon. Additionally, we optically pump the rubidium's spin state using polarized light and measure the spin state via laser-induced fluorescence. When combined with the previously demonstrated magnetic field sensing capabilities of matrix-isolated rubidium atoms, these results are very promising for nanoscale sensing and for performing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of individual molecules cotrapped in the matrix. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
Enhancing quantum sensing The quantum properties of the nitrogen vacancy (NV) defect in diamond can be used as an atomic compass needle that is sensitive to tiny variations in magnetic field. Schmitt et al. and Boss et al. successfully enhanced this sensitivity by several orders of magnitude (see the Perspective by Jordan). They applied a sequence of pulses to the NV center, the timing of which was set by and compared with a highly stable oscillator. This allowed them to measure the frequency of an oscillating magnetic field (megahertz bandwidth) with submillihertz resolution. Such enhanced precision measurement could be applied, for example, to improve nuclear magnetic resonance-based imaging protocols of single molecules. Science , this issue p. 832 , p. 837 ; see also p. 802
Abstract Quantum states with long-lived coherence are essential for quantum computation, simulation and metrology. The nuclear spin states of ultracold molecules prepared in the singlet rovibrational ground state are an excellent candidate for encoding and storing quantum information. However, it is important to understand all sources of decoherence for these qubits, and then eliminate them, in order to reach the longest possible coherence times. Here, we fully characterise the dominant mechanisms for decoherence of a storage qubit in an optically trapped ultracold gas of RbCs molecules using high-resolution Ramsey spectroscopy. Guided by a detailed understanding of the hyperfine structure of the molecule, we tune the magnetic field to where a pair of hyperfine states have the same magnetic moment. These states form a qubit, which is insensitive to variations in magnetic field. Our experiments reveal an unexpected differential tensor light shift between the states, caused by weak mixing of rotational states. We demonstrate how this light shift can be eliminated by setting the angle between the linearly polarised trap light and the applied magnetic field to a magic angle of arccos(1/√3)≈55°. This leads to a coherence time exceeding 6.9 s (90% confidence level). Our results unlock the potential of ultracold molecules as a platform for quantum computation.
Ultracold polar molecules (UPMs) are emerging as a novel and powerful platform for fundamental applications in quantum science. Here, we report characterization of the coherence between nuclear spin levels of ultracold ground-state sodium-rubidium molecules loaded into a 3D optical lattice with a nearly photon scattering limited trapping lifetime of 9(1) seconds. After identifying and compensating the main sources of decoherence, we achieve a maximum nuclear spin coherence time of T_{2}^{*}=3.3(6) s with two-photon Ramsey spectroscopy. Furthermore, based on the understanding of the main factor limiting the coherence of the two-photon Rabi transition, we obtain a Rabi line shape with linewidth below 0.8 Hz. The simultaneous realization of long lifetime and coherence time, and ultrahigh spectroscopic resolution in our system unveils the great potentials of Ultracold polar molecules in quantum simulation, computation, and metrology.