Neutral atoms trapped in optical lattices are promising candidates for quantum information processing and quantum simulation. Over the last decades, elegant tools for the manipulation of the internal and external states of optically trapped atoms have been developed. The crucial capability of scalable internal state readout in these systems, however, still relies on destructive methods. In spite of the important role of near-resonant illumination for the manipulation and detection of atoms in the lattice, there also exists a significant lack of studies on the heating and cooling dynamics of optically trapped atoms interacting with near-resonant light. An in-depth understanding of the heating and cooling processes is essential to finding the conditions of illumination that enable the non-destructive internal state readout of multiple atoms. This work presents an experimental system to cool, trap, manipulate, and detect the internal and external states of a small ensemble of 87Rb neutral atoms trapped in a one-dimensional optical lattice. A high photon detection efficiency in our experimental system allows for fast fluorescence imaging with acquisition times of 20 ms and fast position determination of atoms in the optical lattice with an accuracy of ∼ 40 nm. Using this experimental system, we investigate the heating dynamics of a neutral atom trapped in a standing wave dipole trap illuminated by a single near-resonant laser beam. A theoretical description to describe our measurements is provided in two experimentally relevant regimes. First, we consider the case of a weak near-resonant beam and later the case of off-resonant illumination. From this analysis, we find settings for the illumination light which allows an atom to scatter many photons before it is expelled from the trap. Building on these results we demonstrate simultaneous, non-destructive determination of the internal state of spatially resolved atoms trapped in a one-dimensional optical lattice with a fidelity of 98.6 ± 0.2% and a survival probability of 99.0 ± 0.2%. During the readout process, less than 2% of the atoms change their initial ground state. In order to determine the state of atoms that are not spatially resolved, a novel image analysis technique is presented. The technique uses Bayesian methods, which include the statistics of the detected photons as well as the response from the EMCCD camera. The Bayesian method is implemented on experimental data for atoms trapped in a one-dimensional optical lattice and its accuracy is tested by numerical simulations. In addition, an extension of this algorithm for atoms trapped in two-dimensional lattices is provided. Finally, the non-destructive state detection method is utilized as a tool for the state determination following the coherent control of the internal and external states of atoms in the optical trap. Here Raman sideband cooling is implemented and utilized in an atomic compression sequence for the creation of a small and dense atomic ensemble. These techniques will play an important role in experiments studying the collective light interaction of the atomic ensemble in a recently added optical fiber cavity.
Neutral atoms trapped in optical lattices are promising candidates for quantum information processing and quantum simulation. Over the last decades, elegant tools for the manipulation of the internal and external states of optically trapped atoms have been developed. The crucial capability of scalable internal state readout in these systems, however, still relies on destructive methods. In spite of the important role of near-resonant illumination for the manipulation and detection of atoms in the lattice, there also exists a significant lack of studies on the heating and cooling dynamics of optically trapped atoms interacting with near-resonant light. An in-depth understanding of the heating and cooling processes is essential to finding the conditions of illumination that enable the non-destructive internal state readout of multiple atoms. This work presents an experimental system to cool, trap, manipulate, and detect the internal and external states of a small ensemble of 87Rb neutral atoms trapped in a one-dimensional optical lattice. A high photon detection efficiency in our experimental system allows for fast fluorescence imaging with acquisition times of 20 ms and fast position determination of atoms in the optical lattice with an accuracy of ∼ 40 nm. Using this experimental system, we investigate the heating dynamics of a neutral atom trapped in a standing wave dipole trap illuminated by a single near-resonant laser beam. A theoretical description to describe our measurements is provided in two experimentally relevant regimes. First, we consider the case of a weak near-resonant beam and later the case of off-resonant illumination. From this analysis, we find settings for the illumination light which allows an atom to scatter many photons before it is expelled from the trap. Building on these results we demonstrate simultaneous, non-destructive determination of the internal state of spatially resolved atoms trapped in a one-dimensional optical lattice with a fidelity of 98.6 ± 0.2% and a survival probability of 99.0 ± 0.2%. During the readout process, less than 2% of the atoms change their initial ground state. In order to determine the state of atoms that are not spatially resolved, a novel image analysis technique is presented. The technique uses Bayesian methods, which include the statistics of the detected photons as well as the response from the EMCCD camera. The Bayesian method is implemented on experimental data for atoms trapped in a one-dimensional optical lattice and its accuracy is tested by numerical simulations. In addition, an extension of this algorithm for atoms trapped in two-dimensional lattices is provided. Finally, the non-destructive state detection method is utilized as a tool for the state determination following the coherent control of the internal and external states of atoms in the optical trap. Here Raman sideband cooling is implemented and utilized in an atomic compression sequence for the creation of a small and dense atomic ensemble. These techniques will play an important role in experiments studying the collective light interaction of the atomic ensemble in a recently added optical fiber cavity.
We demonstrate the parallel and nondestructive readout of the hyperfine state for optically trapped ^{87}Rb atoms. The scheme is based on state-selective fluorescence imaging and achieves detection fidelities >98% within 10 ms, while keeping 99% of the atoms trapped. For the readout of dense arrays of neutral atoms in optical lattices, where the fluorescence images of neighboring atoms overlap, we apply a novel image analysis technique using Bayesian inference to determine the internal state of multiple atoms. Our method is scalable to large neutral atom registers relevant for future quantum information processing tasks requiring fast and nondestructive readout and can also be used for the simultaneous readout of quantum information stored in internal qubit states and in the atoms' positions.
Ultracold neutral atoms confined in optical dipole traps have important applications in quantum computation and information processing, quantum simulators of interacting-many-body systems and atomic frequency metrology. While optical dipole traps are powerful tools for cold atom experiments, the energy level structures of the trapped atoms are shifted by the trapping field, and it is important to characterize these shifts in order to accurately manipulate and control the quantum state of the system.\n\nIn order to measure the light shifts, we have designed a system that allows us to reliably trap individual 87Rb atoms. A non-destructive detection technique is employed so that the trapped atoms can be continuously observed for over 100 seconds. Single atom spectroscopy, trap frequency measurements, and temperature measurements are performed on single atoms in a single focus trap and small number of atoms in a 1D optical lattice in order to characterize the trapping environment, the perturbed energy level structures, and the probe-induced heating.\n\nIn the second part of the thesis, we demonstrate deterministic delivery of an array of individual atoms to an optical cavity and selective addressability of individual atoms in a 1D optical conveyor, which serves as a potential candidate for scalable quantum information processing. The experiment is extended to a dual lattice system coupled to a single cavity with the capability of independent lattice control and addressability. The mutual interactions of atoms in different lattices mediated by a common cavity field are demonstrated. A semi-classical model in the many-atom regime based on the Jaynes-Cummings model is developed to describe the system that is in good qualitative agreement with the data. This work provides a foundation for developing multi-qubit quantum information experiments with a dual lattice cavity system.
The imaging of neutral atoms confined in an optical lattice has been demonstrated by a number of groups, resolving single fluorescing atoms in samples of hundreds of atoms. To obtain a high signal the atoms remain confined in the wells of a deep optical lattice whilst fluorescence excitation light is applied for high resolution imaging. In most cases, the excitation light frequency is chosen so that there is a concomitant laser cooling effect. In existing implementations of an imaging lattice the preceding manipulation stage has used optical trapping and manipulation. In this thesis I describe work towards applying this imaging lattice technique on a magnetic trapping apparatus, in particular for carrying out quantum simulation experiments. An introduction to the specific challenge of performing a quantum simulation of the fractional quantum Hall effect is given, with the link to and nature of the imaging lattice technique explained. The existing quantum-gas machine that has been developed to produce Bose-Einstein condensates of 87Rb in this work is then described, including the new optical lattice subsystem and the associated diode laser system. An auxiliary project to develop a servo-control system for frequencies that are several GHz away from an atomic reference is presented. We implement an optical lattice using laser light with a frequency detuning of -20 GHz below the D1-resonance line. The construction and geometry of the individual dipole trapping beams in combination with our existing apparatus is discussed as well as the alignment methods used. We confirm the presence of three independent 1D lattices through diffraction, and observe the decay of a BEC loaded into a lattice using absorption imaging. We observe good long-term alignment and operational stability of the optical lattice. This system will enable us to ultimately detect single fluorescing atoms in the optical lattice, following the application of excitation light co-propogating with lattice beams, via an imaging system with a moderate numerical aperture of 0:27.
A system comprised of a small number of neutral atoms coupled to the mode of a high finesse optical resonator is a model system to study light-matter interaction at the quantum level and to explore fundamental effects like the influence of the measurement process on the atomic state. Promising proposals to generate entangled states in such systems are based on the simultaneous coupling of two atoms to one resonator mode. In chapter 1 of this thesis I shortly summarise the experimental tools to capture, trap, and transport single atoms using a magneto-optical trap and an optical conveyor belt. I discuss theoretical foundations to describe our system and present numerical simulations, the results of which enter the analysis of our experimental data. The average atom-cavity coupling strength is deduced from the measured cavity transmission and compared to a model taking atomic motion into account. The dynamics of the hyperfine spin state of one and two coupled atoms is the focus of chapter 2. I describe a nondestructive cavity-based state detection method, quantify the state detection fidelity, and identify optimum experimental parameters. This method is then used to record random telegraph signals, exhibiting quantum jumps on a timescale of milliseconds. Telegraph signals for two atoms are analysed employing Bayesian statistics, yielding additional information on the evolution of the hyperfine states. A good localisation of the atom is necessary to achieve stable coupling to the cavity mode. In chapter 3, I discuss two different aspects of how the motion of the atom can be controlled. Firstly an intracavity dipole trap is characterised and it is shown that it results in improved confinement of the atom. Secondly I examine the dependence of cavity-cooling forces on our experimental parameters and compare two different cooling regimes.
Optical tweezer arrays of neutral atoms have emerged as a versatile and powerful platform for quantum simulation and quantum information processing. In this thesis, I present the realization of an experimental platform for quantum simulation based on individually trapped strontium atoms in optical tweezer arrays. The experiment combines precise laser cooling, optical control, and high-resolution imaging to enable the manipulation and high fidelity detection of single atoms. I developed and optimized a two-stage three-dimensional magneto-optical trap (3D-MOT) that produces cold and dense samples of strontium atoms from a thermal beam. In the f irst stage, atoms are captured and precooled using the dipole-allowed 1S0 → 1P1 transition at 461nm (which has a linewidth of !=2ω ↑ 32MHz). The second stage employs the 1S0 → 3P1 narrow intercombination transition at 689nm (with a linewidth of !=2ω ↑7.5kHz) to further cool and compress the atomic cloud. By optimizing the trapping parameters, I achieved clouds with temperatures around 5μK and densities above 1010cm→3, providing ideal initial conditions for e!cient loading into optical tweezers. A 3↑3 array of 360μK deep optical tweezers is generated by spatially modulating an 813.4nm laser beam using two crossed acousto-optic deflectors. The deflected beams are relayed and focused into the science chamber using a high–numericalaperture objective, which simultaneously serves as the collection optics for atomic f luorescence. The fluorescence light emitted by the atoms is imaged onto a scientific qCMOS camera, enabling site-resolved detection of individual atoms. I implemented and optimized the in-trap cooling dynamics to prevent atom loss during imaging and to minimize residual thermal motion. In addition, by precisely tuning lightassisted collisions, multiple atoms occupancies are removed from the traps and a single-atom regime is reached in the array, with a filling fraction of about 50%. I have demonstrated a single-atom detection fidelity of 99,986(1)% and a survival probability of 97(2)% between subsequent image acquisition, comparable to other current state-of-the-art experiments. To characterize the platform, I carried out release-and-recapture experiments, from which it is possible to measure a temperature for the individually trapped atoms of 12.95(5)μK. These results demonstrate the successful implementation of a robust and high-fidelity platform for optical trapping and imaging of single strontium atoms. The apparatus provides the foundation for future quantum simulation experiments with alkalineearth atoms excited to the Rydberg state, o"ering precise control over individual particles and the ability to scale towards larger, programmable atomic arrays.
The present work investigates the state-selective transport of single neutral cesium atoms in a one-dimensional optical lattice. It demonstrates experimental applications of this transport, including a single atom interferometer, a quantum walk and controlled two-atom collisions. The atoms are stored one by one in an optical lattice formed by a standing wave dipole trap. Their positions are determined with sub-micrometer precision, while atom pair separations are reliably inferred down to neighboring lattice sites using real-time numerical processing. Using microwave pulses in the presence of a magnetic field gradient, the internal qubit states, encoded in the hyperfine levels of the atoms, can be separately initialized and manipulated. This allows us to perform arbitrary single-qubit operations and prepare arbitrary patterns of atoms in the lattice with single-site precision. Chapter 1 presents the experimental setup for trapping a small number of cesium atoms in a one-dimensional optical lattice. Chapter 2 is devoted to fluorescence imaging of atoms, discussing the imaging setup, numeric methods and their performance in detail. Chapter 3 focuses on engineering of internal states of trapped atoms in the lattice using optical methods and microwave radiation. It provides a detailed investigation of coherence properties of our experimental system. Finally manipulation of individual atoms with almost single-site resolution and preparation of regular strings of atoms with predefined distances are presented. In Chapter 4, basic concepts, the experimental realization and the performance of the state-selective transport of neutral atoms over several lattice sites are presented and discussed in detail. Coherence properties of this transport are investigated in Chapter 5, using various two-arms single atom interferometer sequences in which atomic matter waves are split, delocalized, merged and recombined on the initial lattice site, while the interference contrast and the accumulated phase difference are measured. By delocalizing a single atom over several lattice sites, possible spatial inhomogeneities of fields along the lattice axis in the trapping region are probed. In Chapter 6, experimental realization of a discrete time quantum walk on a line with single optically trapped atoms is presented as an advanced application of multiple path quantum interference in the context of quantum information processing. Using this simple example of a quantum walk, fundamental properties of and differences between the quantum and classical regimes are investigated and discussed in detail. Finally, by combining preparation of atom strings, position-dependent manipulation of qubit states and state-selective transport, in Chapter 7, two atoms are deterministically brought together into contact, forming a starting point for investigating two-atom interactions on the most fundamental level. Future prospects and suggestions are finally presented in Chapter 8.