论文标题
光学镊子抛出并捕获单个原子
Optical tweezers throw and catch single atoms
论文作者
论文摘要
单个原子可从一个地方移动到另一个位置，将启用飞行量子内存，可同时用于量子通信和量子计算。引导原子，例如，通过光学镊子提供了部分解决方案，但是如果仍然与指导手段互动，则飞行量子位的好处可能会丢失。在这里，我们提出并在实验上证明了自由飞行的原子，这些原子不是被指导，而是被光学镊子扔和捕获的原子。在实验中，即使在其他光学镊子或原子在途中，在运输效率为94（3）％的行驶距离为12.6微米的行程距离为12.6微米，在12.6微米的行驶距离内，自由飞行的速度下降到0.65 m/s的自由飞行速度。这种性能在根本上不是有限的，而是由于当前的光镊，其潜在深度和宽度有限的设置。我们提供了一套原理飞行原子示范，其中包括通过光学镊子的原子传输，通过飞行原子的原子布置和原子散射光学镊子。我们的研究提出了飞行原子的可能应用，不仅在基本研究中，例如单原子低能碰撞，而且在非光子量子通信和基于飞行问题的量子计算中。
Single atoms movable from one place to another would enable a flying quantum memory that can be used for quantum communication and quantum computing at the same time. Guided atoms, e.g., by optical tweezers, provide a partial solution, but the benefit of flying qubits could be lost if they still interact with the guiding means. Here we propose and experimentally demonstrate freely-flying atoms that are not guided but are instead thrown and caught by optical tweezers. In experiments, cold atoms at 40 micro Kelvin temperature are thrown up to a free-flying speed of 0.65 m/s over a travel distance of 12.6 micrometer at a transportation efficiency of 94(3)%, even in the presence of other optical tweezers or atoms en route. This performance is not fundamentally limited but by current settings of optical tweezers with limited potential depth and width. We provide a set of proof-of-principle flying atom demonstrations, which include atom transport through optical tweezers, atom arrangements by flying atoms, and atom scattering off optical tweezers. Our study suggests possible applications of flying atoms, not only in fundamental studies such as single-atom low-energy collisions, but also non-photon quantum communication and flying-qubit-based quantum computing.
