273 research outputs found
Nonlinear coupling of continuous variables at the single quantum level
We experimentally investigate nonlinear couplings between vibrational modes
of strings of cold ions stored in linear ion traps. The nonlinearity is caused
by the ions' Coulomb interaction and gives rise to a Kerr-type interaction
Hamiltonian H = n_r*n_s, where n_r,n_s are phonon number operators of two
interacting vibrational modes. We precisely measure the resulting oscillation
frequency shift and observe a collapse and revival of the contrast in a Ramsey
experiment. Implications for ion trap experiments aiming at high-fidelity
quantum gate operations are discussed
EIT ground-state cooling of long ion strings
Electromagnetically-induced-transparency (EIT) cooling is a ground-state
cooling technique for trapped particles. EIT offers a broader cooling range in
frequency space compared to more established methods. In this work, we
experimentally investigate EIT cooling in strings of trapped atomic ions. In
strings of up to 18 ions, we demonstrate simultaneous ground state cooling of
all radial modes in under 1 ms. This is a particularly important capability in
view of emerging quantum simulation experiments with large numbers of trapped
ions. Our analysis of the EIT cooling dynamics is based on a novel technique
enabling single-shot measurements of phonon numbers, by rapid adiabatic passage
on a vibrational sideband of a narrow transition
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