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G. Messin

Publications and source records attributed to G. Messin.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Recent progress on the manipulation of single atoms in optical tweezers for quantum computing

This paper summarizes our recent progress towards using single rubidium atoms trapped in an optical tweezer to encode quantum information. We demonstrate single qubit rotations on this system and measure the coherence of the qubit. We move the quantum bit over distances of tens of microns and show that the coherence is reserved. We also transfer a qubit atom between two tweezers and show no loss of coherence. Finally, we describe our progress towards conditional entanglement of two atoms by photon emission and two-photon interferences.

quant-ph

Two-dimensional transport and transfer of a single atomic qubit in optical tweezers

Quantum computers have the capability of out-performing their classical counterparts for certain computational problems. Several scalable quantum computing architectures have been proposed. An attractive architecture is a large set of physically independant qubits, arranged in three spatial regions where (i) the initialized qubits are stored in a register, (ii) two qubits are brought together to realize a gate, and (iii) the readout of the qubits is performed. For a neutral atom-based architecture, a natural way to connect these regions is to use optical tweezers to move qubits within the system. In this letter we demonstrate the coherent transport of a qubit, encoded on an atom trapped in a sub-micron tweezer, over a distance typical of the separation between atoms in an array of optical traps. Furthermore, we transfer a qubit between two tweezers, and show that this manipulation also preserves the coherence of the qubit.

quant-ph

Diffraction limited optics for single atom manipulation

We present an optical system designed to capture and observe a single neutral atom in an optical dipole trap, created by focussing a laser beam using a large numerical aperture N.A.=0.5 aspheric lens. We experimentally evaluate the performance of the optical system and show that it is diffraction limited over a broad spectral range (~ 200 nm) with a large transverse field (+/- 25 microns). The optical tweezer created at the focal point of the lens is able to trap single atoms of 87Rb and to detect them individually with a large collection efficiency. We measure the oscillation frequency of the atom in the dipole trap, and use this value as an independent determination of the waist of the optical tweezer. Finally, we produce with the same lens two dipole traps separated by 2.2 microns and show that the imaging system can resolve the two atoms.

quant-ph

Controlled photon emission and Raman transition experiments with a single trapped atom

We present recent results on the coherent control of an optical transition in a single rubidium atom, trapped in an optical tweezer. We excite the atom using resonant light pulses that are short (4 ns) compared with the lifetime of the excited state (26 ns). By varying the intensity of the laser pulses, we can observe an adjustable number of Rabi oscillations, followed by free decay once the light is switched off. To generate the pulses we have developed a novel laser system based on frequency doubling a telecoms laser diode at 1560 nm. By setting the laser intensity to make a pi-pulse, we use this coherent control to make a high quality triggered source of single photons. We obtain an average single photon rate of 9600 s-1 at the detector. Measurements of the second-order temporal correlation function show almost perfect antibunching at zero delay. In addition, we present preliminary results on the use of Raman transitions to couple the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of our trapped atom. This will allow us to prepare and control a qubit formed by two hyperfine sub-levels.

quant-ph

A frequency-doubled, pulsed laser system for rubidium manipulation

We have constructed a pulsed laser system for the manipulation of cold Rb atoms. The system combines optical telecommunications components and frequency doubling to generate light at 780 nm. Using a fast, fibre-coupled intensity modulator, output from a continuous laser diode is sliced into pulses with a length between 1.3 and 6.1 ns and a repetition frequency of 5 MHz. These pulses are amplified using an erbium-doped fibre amplifier, and frequency-doubled in a periodically poled lithium niobate crystal, yielding a peak power up to 12 W. Using the resulting light at 780 nm, we demonstrate Rabi oscillations on the F = 2 <-> F=3-transition of a single 87Rb atom.

quant-ph

Statistical Aging and Non Ergodicity in the Fluorescence of Single Nanocrystals

The relation between single particle and ensemble measurements is adressed for semiconductor CdSe nanocrystals. We record their fluorescence at the single molecule level and analyse their emission intermittency, which is governed by unusual random processes known as Levy statistics. We report the observation of statistical aging and ergodicity breaking, both related to the occurrence of Levy statistics. Our results show that the behaviour of ensemble quantities, such as the total fluorescence of an ensemble of nanocrystals, can differ from the time averaged individual quantities, and must be interpreted with care.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci