Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Optical cavity arrays are an emerging tool for efficiently interfacing optical photons to quantum emitters for applications such as quantum computing. In this work, we demonstrate a metrology technique for such cavity arrays by interfering cavity array outputs against a tilted reference beam on a camera, constituting a spatial heterodyne. Both the amplitude and phase of each cavity's transmitted field can be extracted from the resulting images. Enabled by the improved scaling of heterodyne detection over intensity detection in the presence of technical noise, we demonstrate signal-to-noise ratio greater than one down to the single detected photon level, even in the presence of hundreds of noise equivalent photons. This readout technique holds promise for fast, non-destructive imaging of atomic qubits in cavity arrays by requiring fewer scattered photons while allowing the use of fast cameras with higher electronic readout noise.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: McGimpsey, Bridger, Jaffe, Matt
Institution: Montana State University
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7221807163