5 research outputs found
Rabi flopping between ground and Rydberg states with dipole-dipole atomic interactions
We demonstrate Rabi flopping of small numbers of atoms between
ground and Rydberg states with . Coherent population oscillations are
observed for single atom flopping, while the presence of two or more atoms
decoheres the oscillations. We show that these observations are consistent with
van der Waals interactions of Rydberg atoms.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure
Rabi oscillations between ground and Rydberg states with dipole-dipole atomic interactions
We demonstrate Rabi oscillations of small numbers of 87Rb atoms between ground and Rydberg states with n≤43. Coherent population oscillations are observed for single atoms, while the presence of two or more atoms decoheres the oscillations. We show that these observations are consistent with van der Waals interactions of Rydberg atoms
Observation of Rydberg blockade between two atoms
We demonstrate experimentally that a single Rb atom excited to the
level blocks the subsequent excitation of a second atom located
more than away. The observed probability of double excitation of
is consistent with a theoretical model based on calculations of the
long range dipole-dipole interaction between atoms.Comment: 4 figure
Two-dimensional array of microtraps with atomic shift register on a chip
Arrays of trapped atoms are the ideal starting point for developing registers
comprising large numbers of physical qubits for storing and processing quantum
information. One very promising approach involves neutral atom traps produced
on microfabricated devices known as atom chips, as almost arbitrary trap
configurations can be realised in a robust and compact package. Until now,
however, atom chip experiments have focused on small systems incorporating
single or only a few individual traps. Here we report experiments on a
two-dimensional array of trapped ultracold atom clouds prepared using a simple
magnetic-film atom chip. We are able to load atoms into hundreds of tightly
confining and optically resolved array sites. We then cool the individual atom
clouds in parallel to the critical temperature required for quantum degeneracy.
Atoms are shuttled across the chip surface utilising the atom chip as an atomic
shift register and local manipulation of atoms is implemented using a focused
laser to rapidly empty individual traps.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure