Single Atoms with 6000-Second Trapping Lifetimes in Optical-Tweezer Arrays at Cryogenic Temperatures

Abstract

We report on the trapping of single Rb atoms in tunable arrays of optical tweezers in a cryogenic environment at $\sim 4$ K. We describe the design and construction of the experimental apparatus, based on a custom-made, UHV compatible, closed-cycle cryostat with optical access. We demonstrate the trapping of single atoms in cryogenic arrays of optical tweezers, with lifetimes in excess of $\sim 6000$ s, despite the fact that the vacuum system has not been baked out. These results open the way to large arrays of single atoms with extended coherence, for applications in large-scale quantum simulation of many-body systems, and more generally in quantum science and technology.

8 pages, 4 figures. After fixing a leak in the vacuum system, we report in this version 2 on a vastly improved lifetime (6000 s, instead of the 335 s reported in the version 1 of the paper)

References in corpus (6)

• Many-Body Physics with Individually-Controlled Rydberg Atoms
• Quantum computing with neutral atoms
• Quasiclassical calculations of BBR-induced depopulation rates and effective lifetimes of Rydberg nS, nP and nD alkali-metal atoms with n < 80
• Energy distribution and cooling of a single atom in an optical tweezer
• Enhanced atom-by-atom assembly of arbitrary tweezers arrays
• Bose-Einstein condensation on a superconducting atom chip

Cited by in corpus (3)

• In-situ equalization of single-atom loading in large-scale optical tweezers arrays
• Anomalous sub-kelvin thermal frequency shifts of ultra narrow-linewidth solid state emitters
• Extended Rydberg Lifetimes in a Cryogenic Atom Array