2000-Times Repeated Imaging of Strontium Atoms in Clock-Magic Tweezer Arrays

Area of Science:

• Atomic Physics
• Quantum Optics
• Quantum Information Science

Background:

• Precise control over neutral atoms is crucial for quantum computing and metrology.
• Optical tweezers offer a promising platform for trapping and manipulating individual atoms.
• High-fidelity imaging and long atomic lifetimes are essential for advanced quantum applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate single-atom resolved imaging with unprecedented fidelity and survival probability.
• To achieve long atomic lifetimes in optical tweezer arrays.
• To enable atom-by-atom assembly of large, defect-free alkaline-earth atom arrays.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing strontium atoms in optical tweezer arrays at a magic wavelength (813.4 nm).
• Employing off-magic Sisyphus cooling on the intercombination line for arbitrary tweezer wavelength selection.
• Implementing a single, non-retroreflected radial cooling beam to mitigate recoil heating during imaging.
• Measuring atom temperatures below 5 μK using release and recapture techniques.

Main Results:

• Achieved single-atom resolved imaging with 0.99932(8) survival probability and 0.99991(1) fidelity.
• Observed atomic lifetimes exceeding seven minutes, an order of magnitude improvement.
• Demonstrated clock-state resolved detection with 0.996(1) survival probability and 0.981(1) state detection fidelity.
• Cooled atoms to sub-5 μK temperatures.

Conclusions:

• The developed techniques enable thousands of repeated high-fidelity imaging cycles.
• This work paves the way for atom-by-atom assembly of large defect-free alkaline-earth atom arrays.
• Repeated interrogation of the atomic clock transition in such arrays is now feasible, advancing quantum simulation and metrology.