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A Clock Laser Proposal for Strontium Tweezers Arrays Experiments Towards Quantum Computations

Tsz Fung Wong

Published Jan 1, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Neutral atoms confined in optical dipole traps, commonly referred to as optical tweezers, have attracted significant attention in the fields of quantum simulation and computation. This is attributed to their notable flexibility, relatively long coherence times, and promising scalability when compared to more established physical systems, such as superconducting circuits and trapped ions. This thesis presents a proposal for a clock laser designed to target the 698 nm transition in the bosonic isotope of strontium,88Sr. An overview of the experimental setup, encompassing the apparatus configuration, the generation of optical tweezers, and the laser sequences employed, is provided in the introduction. Following this, the thesis examines mechanisms that facilitate the forbidden clock transition, specifically a two-photon scheme and the magnetic admixture scheme. Additionally, an analytical presentation of the anticipated systematic light shifts is provided, as well as the experimental parameters. The state detection scheme and the associated imaging scheme are presented. The isolation architecture implemented to meet the stringent requirements of the clock laser is described. Followed by a section presenting the design of the optical configuration, the generation of error signals, and the associated feedback loops. As part of this presentation, a concise review of the Pound-Drever-Hall (PDH), fiber noise cancellation (FNC) and optical beating techniques is provided. Finally, the thesis outlines the preliminary scheme of generating Rydberg excitations and it manipulations following the implementation of the clock laser. Furthermore, the thesis notes several ongoing projects, such as the assembly and calibration of an improved spectroscopy cell and an external cavity diode laser (ECDL). Additionally, a concept for incorporating machine learning techniques to improve experimental efficiency is presented prior to the conclusion.

DOI
10.14711/thesis-hdl151237

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Neutral atoms confined in optical dipole traps, commonly referred to as optical tweezers, have attracted significant attention in the fields of quantum simulation and computation. This is attributed to their notable flexibility, relatively long coherence times, and promising scalability when compared to more established physical systems, such as superconducting circuits and trapped ions. This thesis presents a proposal for a clock laser designed to target the 698 nm transition in the bosonic isotope of strontium,88Sr. An overview of the experimental setup, encompassing the apparatus configuration, the generation of optical tweezers, and the laser sequences employed, is provided in the introduction. Following this, the thesis examines mechanisms that facilitate the forbidden clock transition, specifically a two-photon scheme and the magnetic admixture scheme. Additionally, an analytical presentation of the anticipated systematic light shifts is provided, as well as the experimental parameters. The state detection scheme and the associated imaging scheme are presented. The isolation architecture implemented to meet the stringent requirements of the clock laser is described. Followed by a section presenting the design of the optical configuration, the generation of error signals, and the associated feedback loops. As part of this presentation, a concise review of the Pound-Drever-Hall (PDH), fiber noise cancellation (FNC) and optical beating techniques is provided. Finally, the thesis outlines the preliminary scheme of generating Rydberg excitations and it manipulations following the implementation of the clock laser. Furthermore, the thesis notes several ongoing projects, such as the assembly and calibration of an improved spectroscopy cell and an external cavity diode laser (ECDL). Additionally, a concept for incorporating machine learning techniques to improve experimental efficiency is presented prior to the conclusion.
Optical clock transitions are exceptionally accurate measurement tools, essential for various applications like precise timekeeping, testing fundamental physics constants, and performing quantum simulations of many-body physics. Addressing these transitions requires stable and well-controlled laser systems. This thesis presents the development of such a laser system, specially designed to address the strontium clock transition for quantum simulations. The work involves the design and construction of an optical setup for coupling an external-cavity diode laser of wavelength 698 nm into a Fabry-Pérot cavity and the application of the Pound-Drever Hall locking technique for frequency stabilization. The work also addresses the implementation of a vibrational isolation stage to mitigate external vibrations on the cavity and an isolation box for acoustic and thermal stability. By integrating advanced optical and electronic methods, the precision and stability of the clock laser are significantly improved.
Clocks based on optical transitions in ions and atoms are quickly moving to the forefront of the frequency standards field mainly because of the high spec-tral resolution, and therefore the potential stability and accuracy, which can be achieved. In this thesis a new optical clock based on neutral atoms trapped in an optical lattice is presented, demonstrating spectroscopy of the clock transition free of any lineshape or accuracy degradation due to atomic motion. The system simu-lates a single trapped ion clock, but allows use of thousands of atoms for improved signal to noise ratio, and clock stability. High accuracy can also be achieved as the lattice can be designed to shift the energy of the two atomic clock states equally, such that the transition frequency is unchanged. Strontium is a natural candidate for such a clock as it offers an extremely narrow optical transition (∼1 mHz) based on atomic states which are very insensitive to external fields. The strontium level structure allows efficient laser cooling to 1 µK with diode laser sources, and a con-venient wavelength of 813 nm for the zero-differential Stark shift optical lattice. The strontium lattice clock system has allowed observation of high signal-to-noise
Accurate time keeping is critical to the function and advancement of many human endeavours. Atomic clocks based on a microwave transition in atomic Cs have served as primary frequency standards to realise the SI second since their formal adoption in 1967. State-of-the-art, laser cooled, Cs fountains now routinely operate with fractional frequency uncertainties below the 10⁻¹⁵ level in laboratories throughout the world. Over the last decade, efforts to build frequency standards based on optical transitions have come to fruition and potential inaccuracies below the 10⁻¹⁷ level have been demonstrated. Such standards point to the future of time keeping and much development is being pursued to realise the potential of these 'next generation' optical clocks. One such approach, on which this work focusses, relies on a 'magic' wavelength optical lattice trap to provide (almost) Doppler- and recoil-free confinement of atoms during clock interrogation. At this 'magic' wavelength, light induced perturbation of the clock states is equal and so cancels precisely. This thesis describes the design and implementation of an optical lattice frequency standard apparatus based on 88Sr held in a 1D optical lattice. A review of the development of atomic frequency metrology is given from a historical viewpoint and the technology and limitations of current methods discussed. To tackle the blackbody radiation shift, which currently presents the greatest limitation to the Sr lattice clock, imposing at the 10⁻¹⁶ level, a scheme to measure the blackbody radiation shift coefficient at the 10⁻¹⁷ level is developed. Techniques to laser cool and trap atomic strontium are described and the implementation detailed. All laser systems required for clock operation are described including the design and implementation of extended-cavity diode lasers for precision spectroscopy. Details relevant to the eventual operation of the apparatus are discussed.
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.
Atomic Caesium clocks have made an astonishing development in the past few decades, with them gaining an order of magnitude in precision every decade. A new generation of atomic optical clocks is now emerging, which is moving to the forefront of timekeeping. By going from microwave to optical frequencies these clocks are now reaching fractional uncertainty levels in the 10\\(^-\\)\\(^1\\)\\(^8\\), opening a whole new range of exciting applications. This thesis presents the design and implementation of an experiment for laser cooling of strontium atoms, focusing on the mobility of the setup, opening a range of new applications as a mobile clock. The experimental apparatus applies a range of new techniques for strontium, such as the use of a two dimensional magneto-optical trap for pre cooling atoms, allowing for a compact and transportable system. A mobile laser system for laser cooling strontium atoms was realized. This includes a frequency doubling system for the main cooling transition. The constructed monolithic frequency doubling cavity has generated 300 mW of blue light and proven to be a stable setup suitable for a mobile system. The 3D-MOT was able to capture 4 * 10\\(^5\\) atoms with a long lifetime of 5.5 s, with further improvements for a significant increase in atom number currently being implemented.
Optical atomic clocks have proven to be the most stable clocks with the lowest systematic uncertainty which has now reached a record level of (9.4 X10/(^{19}/)). Thus optical clocks now surpass the best fountain Cs atomic clocks by three orders of magnitude which opens the prospect of using optical clocks as frequency standards for timekeeping in the near future. \n \nThis thesis describes the progress that has been made towards a stationary optical lattice clock based on strontium atoms, and reports the results of an ongoing characterization. \n \nAn experimental apparatus was designed and built to efficiently slow, cool, and trap the strontium atoms which represent the heart of the strontium optical lattice clock discussed in this thesis. The novel aspects of the experimental development described in the thesis comprise a frequency doubling cavity for producing 461 nm laser light employed for cooling and trapping the strontium atoms in the first stage cooling. This cavity provided sufficient power for cooling and trapping the strontium atoms for up to 300 mW of 461 nm laser light. Furthermore, a new design of Zeeman slower based on spherical permanent magnets was produced, built and characterized. \n \nThe slower is compact, tunable, easy to assemble and maintain, and cost-effective as the permanent magnets do not require any power supply or water cooling. It is suggested that this kind of Zeeman slower constitutes an ideal solution for portable optical clock systems. A blue magneto-optical trap was realized for the first time with such a Zeeman slower. With about 30 mW of a 461 nm laser, up to 6X10/(^8/) atoms were captured.