Selective interactions in trapped ions: state reconstruction and quantum logic

We propose the implementation of selective interactions of atom-motion subspaces in trapped ions. These interactions yield resonant exchange of population inside a selected subspace, leaving the others in a highly dispersive regime. Selectivity allows us to generate motional Fock (and other nonclassical) states with high purity out of a wide class of initial states, and becomes an unconventional cooling mechanism when the ground state is chosen. Individual population of number states can be distinctively measured, as well as the motional Wigner function. Furthermore, a protocol for implementing quantum logic through a suitable control of selective subspaces is presented.Comment: 4 revtex4 pages and 2 eps figures. Submitted for publicatio

Guiding of Rydberg atoms in a high-gradient magnetic guide

We study the guiding of $^{87}$Rb 59D$_{5/2}$ Rydberg atoms in a linear, high-gradient, two-wire magnetic guide. Time delayed microwave ionization and ion detection are used to probe the Rydberg atom motion. We observe guiding of Rydberg atoms over a period of 5 ms following excitation. The decay time of the guided atom signal is about five times that of the initial state. We attribute the lifetime increase to an initial phase of $l$-changing collisions and thermally induced Rydberg-Rydberg transitions. Detailed simulations of Rydberg atom guiding reproduce most experimental observations and offer insight into the internal-state evolution

High-resolution antenna near-field imaging and sub-THz measurements with a small atomic vapor-cell sensing element

Atomic sensing and measurement of millimeter-wave (mmW) and THz electric fields using quantum-optical EIT spectroscopy of Rydberg states in atomic vapors has garnered significant interest in recent years towards the development of atomic electric-field standards and sensor technologies. Here we describe recent work employing small atomic vapor cell sensing elements for near-field imaging of the radiation pattern of a K$_u$-band horn antenna at 13.49 GHz. We image fields at a spatial resolution of $\lambda/10$ and measure over a 72 to 240 V/m field range using off-resonance AC-Stark shifts of a Rydberg resonance. The same atomic sensing element is used to measure sub-THz electric fields at 255 GHz, an increase in mmW-frequency by more than one order of magnitude. The sub-THz field is measured over a continuous $\pm$100 MHz frequency band using a near-resonant mmW atomic transition

DC Electric Fields in Electrode-Free Glass Vapor Cell by Photoillumination

Rydberg-atom-enabled atomic vapor cell technologies show great potentials in developing devices for quantum enhanced sensors. In this paper, we demonstrate laser induced DC electric fields in an all-glass vapor cell without bulk or thin film electrodes. The spatial field distribution is mapped by Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency spectroscopy. We explain the measured with a boundary-value electrostatic model. This work may inspire new ideas for DC electric field control in designing miniaturized atomic vapor cell devices. Limitations and other charge effects are also discussed

Strong-driving-assisted multipartite entanglement in cavity QED

We propose a method of generating multipartite entanglement by considering the interaction of a system of N two-level atoms in a cavity of high quality factor with a strong classical driving field. It is shown that, with a judicious choice of the cavity detuning and the applied coherent field detuning, vacuum Rabi coupling produces a large number of important multipartite entangled states. It is even possible to produce entangled states involving different cavity modes. Tuning of parameters also permits us to switch from Jaynes-Cummings to anti-Jaynes-Cummings like interaction.Comment: Last version with minor changes and added references. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Letter

Simple pressure-tuned Fabry–Pérot interferometer

A simple, compact and inexpensive pressure-tuned Fabry–Pérot interferometer is presented. It is used as a laser locking reference for optical frequencies where the use of an atomic reference is impractical. The scanning range is several GHz. Absolute positioning of the interferometer with an accuracy of 7 MHz7MHz rms over a range of 2 GHz2GHz is possible. The instrument is temperature stabilized and shows long-term drift of 16 MHz16MHz rms over 48 h48h.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87892/2/033105_1.pd

Wave Packet Echoes in the Motion of Trapped Atoms

We experimentally demonstrate and systematically study the stimulated revival (echo) of motional wave packet oscillations. For this purpose, we prepare wave packets in an optical lattice by non-adiabatically shifting the potential and stimulate their reoccurence by a second shift after a variable time delay. This technique, analogous to spin echoes, enables one even in the presence of strong dephasing to determine the coherence time of the wave packets. We find that for strongly bound atoms it is comparable to the cooling time and much longer than the inverse of the photon scattering rate