Coupling trapped ions to a nanomechanical oscillator

Cold ions in traps are well-established, highly controllable quantum systems with a wide variety of applications in quantum information, precision spectroscopy, clocks and chemistry. Nanomechanical oscillators are used in advanced sensing applications and for exploring the border between classical and quantum physics. Here, we report on the implementation of a hybrid system combining a metallic nanowire with laser-cooled ions in a miniaturised ion trap. We demonstrate resonant and off-resonant coupling of the two systems and the coherent motional excitation of the ion by the mechanical drive of the nanowire. The present results open up avenues for mechanically manipulating the quantum motion of trapped ions, for the development of ion-mechanical hybrid quantum systems and for the sympathetic cooling of mechanical systems by trapped ions and vice versa

Optimized single-shot laser ablation of concave mirror templates on optical fibers

We realize mirror templates on the tips of optical fibers using a single-shot CO$_2$ laser ablation procedure. We perform a systematic study of the influence of the pulse power, pulse duration, and laser spot size on the radius of curvature, depth, and diameter of the mirror templates. We find that these geometrical characteristics can be tuned to a larger extent than has been previously reported, and notably observe that compound convex-concave shapes can be obtained. This detailed investigation should help further the understanding of the physics of CO$_2$ laser ablation processes and help improve current models. We additionally identify regimes of ablation parameters that lead to mirror templates with favorable geometries for use in cavity quantum electrodynamics and optomechanics

Scanning NV magnetometry of focused-electron-beam-deposited cobalt nanomagnets

Focused-electron-beam-induced deposition is a promising technique for patterning nanomagnets for spin qubit control in a single step. We fabricate cobalt nanomagnets in such a process, obtaining cobalt contents and saturation magnetizations comparable to or higher than those typically obtained using electron-beam lithography. We characterize the nanomagnets using transmission electron microscopy and image their stray magnetic field using scanning NV magnetometry, finding good agreement with micromagnetic simulations. The magnetometry reveals the presence of magnetic domains and halo side-deposits, which are common for this fabrication technique. Finally, we estimate dephasing times for electron spin qubits in the presence of disordered stray fields due to these side-deposits

Coherent two-mode dynamics of a nanowire force sensor

Classically coherent dynamics analogous to those of quantum two-level systems are studied in the setting of force sensing. We demonstrate quantitative control over the coupling between two orthogonal mechanical modes of a nanowire cantilever, through measurement of avoided crossings as we deterministically position the nanowire inside an electric field. Furthermore, we demonstrate Rabi oscillations between the two mechanical modes in the strong coupling regime. These results give prospects of implementing coherent two-mode control techniques for force sensing signal enhancement.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figure

Resonant driving of a single photon emitter embedded in a mechanical oscillator

Coupling a microscopic mechanical resonator to a nanoscale quantum system enables control of the mechanical resonator via the quantum system and vice-versa. The coupling is usually achieved through functionalization of the mechanical resonator, but this results in additional mass and dissipation channels. An alternative is an intrinsic coupling based on strain. Here we employ a monolithic semiconductor system: the nanoscale quantum system is a semiconductor quantum dot (QD) located inside a nanowire. We demonstrate the resonant optical driving of the QD transition in such a structure. The noise spectrum of the resonance fluorescence signal, recorded in the single-photon counting regime, reveals a coupling to mechanical modes of different types. We measure a sensitivity to displacement of 65 fm/root Hz limited by charge noise in the device. Finally, we use thermal excitation of the different modes to determine the location of the QD within the trumpet, and calculate the contribution of the Brownian motion to the dephasing of the emitter

Visualizing thickness-dependent magnetic textures in few-layer Cr2Ge2Te6\text{Cr}_2\text{Ge}_2\text{Te}_6

Magnetic ordering in two-dimensional (2D) materials has recently emerged as a promising platform for data storage, computing, and sensing. To advance these developments, it is vital to gain a detailed understanding of how the magnetic order evolves on the nanometer-scale as a function of the number of atomic layers and applied magnetic field. Here, we image few-layer $\text{Cr}_2\text{Ge}_2\text{Te}_6$ using a combined scanning superconducting quantum interference device and atomic force microscopy probe. Maps of the material's stray magnetic field as a function of applied magnetic field reveal its magnetization per layer as well as the thickness-dependent magnetic texture. Using a micromagnetic model, we correlate measured stray-field patterns with the underlying magnetization configurations, including labyrinth domains and skyrmionic bubbles. Comparison between real-space images and simulations demonstrates that the layer dependence of the material's magnetic texture is a result of the thickness-dependent balance between crystalline and shape anisotropy. These findings represent an important step towards 2D spintronic devices with engineered spin configurations and controlled dependence on external magnetic fields.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, and supplementary informatio

A fiber-coupled quantum-dot on a photonic tip

International audienc

Multiple Flat Bands and Topological Hofstadter Butterfly in Twisted Bilayer Graphene Close to the Second Magic Angle

Moir\'e superlattices in two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures provide 20 an efficient way to engineer electron band properties. The recent discovery of exotic quantum phases and their interplay in twisted bilayer graphene (tBLG) has built this moir\'e system one of the most renowned condensed matter platforms (1-10). So far the studies of tBLG has been mostly focused on the lowest two flat moir\'e bands at the first magic angle {\theta}m1 ~ 1.1{\deg}, leaving high-order moir\'e bands and magic angles largely unexplored. Here we report 25 an observation of multiple well-isolated flat moir\'e bands in tBLG close to the second magic angle {\theta}m2 ~ 0.5{\deg}, which cannot be explained without considering electron-election interactions. With high magnetic field magneto-transport measurements, we further reveal a qualitatively new, energetically unbound Hofstadter butterfly spectrum in which continuously extended quantized Landau level gaps cross all trivial band-gaps. The 30 connected Hofstadter butterfly strongly evidences the topologically nontrivial textures of the multiple moir\'e bands. Overall, our work provides a new perspective for understanding the quantum phases in tBLG and the fractal Hofstadter spectra of multiple topological bands