Quantum Science with Ytterbium Rydberg Atoms in Optical Tweezer Arrays

Engineering Rydberg-mediated interactions in arrays of neutral atom qubits is a leading platform for quantum computing and quantum simulation architectures. The advantages of this experimental platform are derived from the strong nature of Rydberg interactions coupled with highly controllable optical tweezer arrays. To date, most neutral atom array experiments utilize alkali atoms, however alkaline-earth-like atoms offer many advantages including extremely long coherence times for nuclear spins in the J = 0 electronic ground state and narrow optical transitions for use in efficient laser-cooling, metrology and precision measurement. Our experimental approach is to utilize laser-cooled neutral ytterbium (Yb) atoms trapped in optical tweezer arrays. We use the narrow intercombination line, ¹S₀ - ³P₁, for cooling and imaging atoms in magic-wavelength (532 nm) optical tweezers and achieve very high atom detection fidelity [1]. An additional advantage of Yb is the ability to stably trap Rydberg states of the atom by leveraging the Yb⁺ ion core polarizability for trapping in the optical tweezer. Here we maintain trapping of the Rydberg atom at high n states thus extending the lifetime for interactions. The expanded interaction time has important implications for quantum computing and simulation with strongly interacting Rydberg atoms. These attributes make Yb atoms in optical tweezers an attractive platform for a wide variety of applications in quantum information science.

[1] S. Saskin et. al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 143002 (2019)