High-Fidelity Detection of Large-Scale Atom Arrays in an Optical Lattice

Area of Science:

• Quantum Simulation
• Atomic Physics
• Quantum Optics

Background:

• Neutral atom quantum simulation relies on advanced imaging techniques for local atom detection.
• Repulsive Sisyphus cooling, utilizing narrow optical transitions in alkaline-earth atoms, offers a new cooling mechanism.
• The feasibility of high-fidelity imaging with repulsive Sisyphus cooling remained an open question.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate high-fidelity imaging using repulsive Sisyphus cooling in a strontium atom system.
• To investigate the performance of this technique in large-scale optical tweezer arrays and lattices.
• To assess the potential for continuous refilling of optical tweezers from a lattice reservoir.

Main Methods:

• Utilized repulsive Sisyphus cooling for imaging strontium atoms.
• Employed an optical lattice as a pinning potential within a large-scale optical tweezer array (up to 399 tweezers).
• Demonstrated repeated lattice-tweezer-lattice transfers and direct loading from a Magneto-Optical Trap (MOT).

Main Results:

• Achieved high-fidelity (99.971(1)%) and high-survival (99.80(5)%) imaging of strontium atoms.
• Showcased repeated, high-fidelity atom transfers between lattice and tweezer potentials.
• Demonstrated scalable imaging over >10,000 lattice sites with >99.2% combined fidelity and survival.

Conclusions:

• Repulsive Sisyphus cooling enables high-fidelity imaging in neutral atom systems.
• The developed optical lattice serves as a scalable, locally addressable reservoir for optical tweezer arrays.
• This technique is promising for continuous refilling strategies in future quantum simulators.