Search arXivSearch

arXiv · 2506.10919

A cavity array microscope for parallel single-atom interfacing

Abstract

Neutral atom arrays and optical cavity QED systems have developed in parallel as central pillars of modern experimental quantum science. While each platform has demonstrated exceptional capabilities-such as high-fidelity quantum logic in atom arrays, and strong light-matter coupling in cavities-their combination holds promise for realizing fast and non-destructive atom measurement, building large-scale quantum networks, and engineering hybrid atom-photon Hamiltonians. However, to date, experiments integrating the two platforms have been limited to spatially interfacing the entire atom array with one global cavity mode, a configuration that constrains addressability, parallelism, and scalability. Here we introduce the cavity array microscope, an experimental platform where each individual atom is strongly coupled to its own individual cavity across a two-dimensional array of over 40 modes. Our approach requires no nanophotonic elements, and instead uses a new free-space cavity geometry with intra-cavity lenses to realize above-unity peak cooperativity with micron-scale mode waists and spacings, compatible with typical atom array length scales while keeping atoms far from dielectric surfaces. We achieve homogeneous atom-cavity coupling, and show fast, non-destructive, parallel readout on millisecond timescales, including through a fiber array as a proof-of-principle for networking applications. As an outlook, we realize a next-generation iteration of the platform with over 500 cavities and a nearly 10 times improvement in finesse. Our work unlocks the regime of many-cavity QED, and opens an unexplored frontier of large-scale quantum networking with atom arrays.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Adam L. Shaw, Anna Soper, Danial Shadmany, Aishwarya Kumar, Lukas Palm, Da-Yeon Koh, Vassilios Kaxiras, Lavanya Taneja, Matt Jaffe, David I. Schuster, Jonathan Simon. 2026-02-15. A cavity array microscope for parallel single-atom interfacing. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-10035-9

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Measurement-Induced Local Dephasing Generates Symmetrically Located Entangled Sites in a Fermionic Tight-Binding Lattice

We investigate an odd-sized fermionic open tight-binding chain subjected to stochastic projective measurements at its central site, effectively inducing localized dephasing. Focusing initially on the single-particle regime, we demonstrate that when the system is prepared in an even-parity state, the dynamics under central-site dephasing drive it toward a nontrivial steady state, which we characterize through both analytical and numerical approaches. Remarkably, this steady state exhibits long-range quantum correlations in the form of symmetrically positioned, pairwise entangled sites across the chain. We further show that the degree of pairwise mode entanglement can be significantly enhanced by increasing the particle number, provided the system is initialized within a specific symmetry sector associated with an underlying strong symmetry operator. Our results identify a minimal measurement-induced route for generating symmetry-selected long-range pairwise mode entanglement, with possible implications for quantum communication and distributed quantum information processing.

quant-ph

Role of scrambling and noise in temporal information processing with quantum systems

Scrambling quantum systems have attracted attention as effective substrates for temporal information processing. Here we consider a quantum reservoir processing framework that captures a broad range of physical computing models with quantum systems. We examine the scalability and memory retention of the model with scrambling reservoirs modelled by high-order unitary designs in both noiseless and noisy settings. In the former regime, we show that measurement readouts become exponentially concentrated with increasing reservoir size, yet strikingly do not worsen with the reservoir iterations. Thus, while repeatedly reusing a small scrambling reservoir with quantum data might be viable, scaling up the problem size deteriorates generalization unless one can afford an exponential shot overhead. In contrast, the memory of early inputs and initial states decays exponentially in both reservoir size and reservoir iterations. In the noisy regime, we also prove that memory decays exponentially in time for local noisy channels. These results required us to introduce new proof techniques for bounding concentration in temporal quantum models. Beyond this extreme scrambling regime, we numerically demonstrate that exponential concentration can still exist even with a physical reservoir such as an Ising model whenever the reservoir operates in a quantum-chaotic phase. In contrast, physical reservoirs in a many-body localized phase and at the edge of chaos appear to not suffer from such phenomena

quant-ph

Superpositions of Quantum Gaussian Processes

We generalise the Gaussian formalism of Continuous Variable (CV) systems to describe their entanglement with Discrete Variable (DV) systems, leading to superpositions of CV Gaussian states. A new class of CV-DV entangled states, named Gaussian-Branched Cat States (GBCSs), yields an analytical formalism to describe quantum hybrid systems. GBCSs are fully characterised by their superposed phase-space parameters: sets of generalised complex first moments and covariance matrices, along with the DV reduced density matrix (phases and contrasts). These states arise in all the instances where Gaussian dynamics, operations, and measurements are performed conditionally on a DV state. The time evolution of the GBCS phase-space parameters allows one -- via a new set of equations in closed form -- to analytically treat a large set of unitary and open dynamics, generated by Gaussian Hamiltonians labelled by DV eigenvalues. Conditional operations, such as displacements and rotations, and Gaussian measurements (homodyne/heterodyne) jointly with DV projectors, can be both described as maps on GBCS's parameters. A phase-space perturbation theory is given to extend the analysis to non-orthogonal DV super-operators, e.g. DV decay. We showcase our general formalism with two paradigmatic examples of experimental modelling: (i) a dispersively coupled qubit to a driven parametric amplifier; (ii) a levitated nanoparticle undergoing Stern-Gerlach matter-wave interferometry in a diffusive environment. Both examples highlight the generation of novel Wigner negativities through qubit measurements.

quant-ph