Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: Rydberg atoms, with their enormous electronic orbitals, exhibit dipole–dipole interactions reaching the gigahertz range at a distance of a micrometre, making them a prominent contender for realizing ultrafast quantum operations. However, such strong interactions between two single atoms have so far never been harnessed due to the stringent requirements on the fluctuation of the atom positions and the necessary excitation strength. Here we introduce novel techniques to explore this regime. First, we trap and cool atoms to the motional quantum ground state of holographic optical tweezers, which allows control of the inter-atomic distance down to 1.5 μm with a quantum-limited precision of 30 nm. We then use ultrashort laser pulses to excite a pair of these nearby atoms to a Rydberg state simultaneously, far beyond the Rydberg blockade regime, and perform Ramsey interferometry with attosecond precision. This allows us to induce and track an ultrafast interaction-driven energy exchange completed on nanosecond timescales—two orders of magnitude faster than in any other Rydberg experiments in the tweezers platform so far. This ultrafast coherent dynamics gives rise to a conditional phase, which is the key resource for a quantum gate, opening the path for quantum simulation and computation operating at the speed limit set by dipole–dipole interactions with this ultrafast Rydberg platform.
Source: Nature Photonics
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $11,390
Awards: Edge states using ultracold atoms, Rydberg atoms at sub-micron distance with overlapping electronic clouds, G3824370463, Investigation of open quantum many-body systems based on the individual measurement of cold atoms and the post-selective statistical processing, Quantum simulation of non-equilibrium open quantum systems using strongly-correlated Rydberg atoms, Addressing Quantum Many-Body Dynamics by Ultrafast Coherent Control with Attosecond Precision, G90803353
OpenAlex ID: W3215498831