Description
Arrays of neutral atoms offer a promising platform for building controllable and scalable quantum many-body systems. Atoms of the same species have identical transitions and are practically unlimited in supply. Given the maturity of the field of atomic physics, a large toolbox of advanced techniques for cooling and manipulating atoms is available. Atoms in ultra-high vacuum systems are also decoupled from their environment, allowing for long coherence- and lifetimes. However, this strong decoupling poses a challenge for coupling atoms with one another.
We seek to couple atoms via the exchange of optical photons. However, it is generally difficult to achieve strong coupling between atoms and light, propagating in free space, at the single particle level. Moreover, the spontaneous emission of light from an atom into free space is isotropic, further limiting the interaction strength. Based on pioneering work[1,2], our goal is to engineer strong atom-atom interactions mediated by light, in a 2D setting. By trapping atoms near carefully designed photonic crystals, the light emitted by the atoms couples strongly to the crystal.
The light guided by the photonic crystals can be highly confined, allowing for much stronger light-matter coupling than in free space. Given the discrete symmetries of the photonic crystal, the mode of the guided light will be highly directional, offering the opportunity to engineer specific interactions depending on the location of the atoms with respect to one another. This allows one to implement different Hamiltonians for simulating quantum systems such as 2D Ising-like systems, as seen in quantum magnetism[3].
We report on our progress towards trapping 2D arrays of individual Cesium atoms using optical tweezers, near a 2D dielectric structure. Using a dual compartment vacuum system, we transfer cold Cesium atoms from a source chamber to a science chamber, containing a photonic crystal. Here, the atoms are recaptured and subsequently trapped in optical tweezers.
[1]: A. González-Tudela, C. L. Hung, D. E. Chang, J. I. Cirac, H. J. Kimble, Nat. Photon. 9, 320 (2015)
[2]: Xingsheng Luan, Jean-Baptiste Béguin, Alex P. Burgers, Zhongzhong Qin, Su-Peng Yu, Harry J. Kimble, Adv. Quantum Technol. 3, 2000008 (2020).
[3]: D. E. Chang, J. S. Douglas, A. González-Tudela, C.-L. Hung, H. J. Kimble, Rev. Mod. Phys. 90, 031002
| Presenter name | Jacob Thornfeldt Hansen |
|---|---|
| How will you attend ICAP-27? | I am planning on in-person attendance |
