A loading assembly configured for providing atomic objects to an atomic object confinement apparatus is provided. The loading assembly comprises one or more ovens. Each oven (a) comprises a respective oven nozzle and (b) is configured to generate a respective atomic flux of a respective atomic species via the respective oven nozzle. The loading assembly comprises a mirror array and a magnet array configured to, when optical beams are provided to the mirror and magnet assembly, generate a two-dimensional magneto-optical trap (2D MOT). The 2D MOT is configured to generate a substantially collimated atomic beam from the respective atomic fluxes generated by the one or more ovens. The loading assembly further comprises a differential pumping tube defining a beam path. The differential pumping tube is configured to provide the substantially collimated atomic beam via the beam path. The respective oven nozzle of each of the one or more ovens is misaligned with the beam path and the 2D MOT is configured to provide the substantially collimated atomic beam in alignment with the beam path.

Improvements to atom interferometers. An improved atom interferometer has a single polarization-preserving fiber, coupled for propagation of beams of two Raman frequencies, and a parallel displacement beamsplitter for separating the laser beams into respective free-space-propagating parallel beams traversing at least one ensemble of atoms. A reflector generates one or more beams counterpropagating through the ensemble of atoms. Other improvements include interposing a beam-splitting surface common to a plurality of parallel pairs of beams counterpropagating through the ensemble of atoms, generating interference fringes between reflections of the beams to generate a detector signal; and processing the detector signal to derive at least one of relative phase and relative alignment between respective pairs of the counterpropagating beams.

An atomic interferometer and methods for measuring phase shifts in interference fringes using the same. The atomic interferometer has a laser beam traversing an ensemble of atoms along a first path and an optical components train with at least one alignment-insensitive beam routing element configured to reflect the laser beam along a second path that is anti-parallel with respect to the first laser beam path. Any excursion from parallelism of the second beam path with respect to the first is rigorously independent of variation of the first laser beam path in yaw parallel to an underlying plane.

Beamformers are formed (e.g., carved) from a stack of transparent sheets. A rear face of each sheet has a reflective coating. The reflectivities of the coatings vary monotonically with sheet position within the stack. The sheets are tilted relative to the intended direction of an input beam and then bonded to form the stack. The carving can include dicing the stack to yield stacklets, and polishing the stacklets to form beamformers. Each beamformer is thus a stack of beamsplitters, including a front beamsplitter in the form of a triangular or trapezoidal prism, and one or more beamsplitters in the form of rhomboid prisms. In use, a beamformer forms an output beam from an input beam. More specifically, the beamformer splits an input beam into plural output beam components that collectively constitute an output beam that differs in cross section from the input beam.

A two-dimensional magneto-optical trap (2D GMOT) that is configured to produce a cold-atom beam exiting the 2D GMOT is disclosed. In embodiments, the 2D GMOT is configured to feed a three-dimensional GMOT with the cold atom beam. In embodiments, the 2D GMOT includes an input light beam having its direction along a first axis, its width along a second axis, normal to the first axis, and a substantially flat input light beam intensity profile. 2D GMOT may further includes a quadrupole magnetic field with its magnitude being zero along a third axis that is centered at the center of the input light beam's width. The 2D GMOT may also include a diffraction-grating surface positioned normal to the first axis, composed of closely adjacent parallel grooves spread across the width and run parallel to the third axis.

An atom interferometer that utilizes two counterpropagating continuous 3D-cooled atom beams which are directed into a vacuum chamber. Momentum-transfer laser (MTL) beams are directed into the atom beams to produce a predetermined recoil and subsequently generate an interference signal that is read by a photodetector and analyzed by a processor to provide information regarding inertial forces such as acceleration and rotation rate. Reversal of the recoil direction of the MTL beams allows for the suppression of errors in the measurement of the inertial forces.

A probe-based bidirectional electrophoretic force optical trap loading method includes steps of (1) detaching target particles from an upper electrode plate and capturing the target particles by a micro-scale probe based on a bidirectional electrophoretic force; (2) moving the probe with the target particles over an optical trap, applying a reverse electric field between the probe and the upper substrate electrode plate which is applied during a polar relaxation time of the target particles, and desorbing the target particles from the probe; and (3) turning on the optical trap, applying an electric field between the lower electrode plate and the upper electrode plate, adjusting the speed of the desorbed target particles through the electric field at which the optical trap is able to capture the desorbed target particles and the desorbed target particles moving to the effective capture range of the optical trap.

The present invention provides a vapor-cell system comprising: a vapor-cell region configured for vapor-cell optical paths; a first electrode disposed in contact with the vapor-cell region; a second electrode electrically isolated from the first electrode; and an ion conductor interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The first electrode, the ion conductor, and the second electrode collectively form a bidirectional solid-state electrochemical charge-depletion capacitor. The ion conductor is ionically conductive for mobile ions, such as Rb.sup.+, Cs.sup.+, Na.sup.+, K.sup.+, or Sr.sup.2+. The first electrode is permeable to the mobile ions and/or neutral atoms formed from the mobile ions. The system can be electrically controlled to quickly pump mobile ions into or out of the vapor-cell region. The system may further contain an atom chip, and the vapor-cell optical paths may be configured to trap a population of cold atoms. Methods of operating these vapor-cell systems are also disclosed.

An atom chip for an ultracold-atom sensor, the chip includes an XY-plane normal to a Z-axis, the atom chip comprising: first and second coplanar waveguides suitable for propagating microwaves at respective angular frequencies ω.sub.a and ω.sub.b, the waveguides being placed symmetrically on either side of the X-axis and being referred to as X-wise guides, first and second coplanar waveguides suitable for propagating microwaves at respective angular frequencies ω′.sub.a and ω′.sub.b, the waveguides being placed symmetrically on either side of an axis the projection of which in the XY-plane is along an axis Y′ that is different from the X-axis and that is contained in the XY-plane, and being referred to as Y′-wise guides, the X-wise guides being electrically insulated from the Y′-wise guides, an intersection of the guides forming a parallelogram of center O defining an origin of the reference frame XYZ, at least a first conductive wire and a second conductive wire the respective projections of which in the XY-plane are secant at O and make between them an angle larger than or equal to 20°, the conductive wires being suitable for being passed through by DC currents.

A cell (110) for carrying out quantum optical measurements on at least one atom cloud is proposed. The cell (110) comprises a control unit (114) for controlling electric fields at the location (112) of the atom cloud. The control unit (114) comprises: at least one housing (116) having at least one interior (120) for receiving the atom cloud and having at least one opening (122) for introducing the atoms of the atom cloud into the interior (120); and at least two electrodes (118), wherein the electrodes (118), independently of one another, are able to be subjected to electrical potentials and are configured to influence at least one electric field in the interior (120), wherein the electrodes (118) are mechanically connected to the housing (116).

At least one of the electrodes (118) is at least partly formed by at least one optical window (130) through which at least one light beam (132) for interaction with the atom cloud is able to be radiated into the interior (120). The optical window (130) comprises at least one transparent substrate (134) and at least one transparent electrically conductive coating (136) of the substrate (134). Furthermore, a system (182) for carrying out quantum optical measurements on at least one atom cloud, a quantum computer (204) and a method for carrying out quantum optical measurements on at least one atom cloud are proposed.