A device for measuring a quantity representative of a population (N) of cold atoms, the cold atoms being located in a cloud of cold atoms to be analyzed, the device includes a microwave source configured to generate an incident signal at a predetermined signal frequency, a microwave guide configured to propagate the incident signal and an antenna configured to emit the incident signal to the cloud of cold atoms and its environment, the antenna and the microwave guide also being able to recover an atomic reflected signal resulting from a reflection of the incident signal by the cloud and its environment, and which propagates in the waveguide in the opposite direction to the incident signal, a splitting device coupled to the microwave guide and configured to extract at least part of the atomic reflected signal, a detector configured to detect the atomic reflected signal extracted by the splitting device, the quantity representative of the population of cold atoms (N) being obtained from a detected value of the atomic reflected signal and from a detected value of a signal reflected by the environment in the absence of the cloud, called reference reflected signal.

A quantum simulator includes a chamber, a light beam generation apparatus, and a photodetector. The light beam generation apparatus includes a light source, an optical mask, a spatial light modulator, and a lens. The optical mask includes an inner region having a rectangular shape with a side parallel to a first direction or a second direction, and an outer region surrounding the inner region. When an xy coordinate system including an x axis parallel to the first direction and a y axis parallel to the second direction is set on an image plane, the light beam generation apparatus forms and regularly arranges focusing spots such that a minimum value of a difference between x coordinate values and a minimum value of a difference between y coordinate values of center positions of the focusing spots are longer than a non-overlapping distance.

Systems and methods for trapping and holding airborne particles using an orienting hollow beam are disclosed. In the various embodiments, an optical trap comprises: a light source for generating a beam of light; optics and/or mechanics for forming and shaping the beam of light into an orienting hollow beam having unequal axisymmetry with a substantially hollow ring geometry cross-section and no angular momentum; an optical focusing element for focusing the orienting hollow beam; and a trapping region where an airborne particle can be present to be trapped and held at or near a focal point of the focused optical focusing element. In this arrangement, the particle is trapped at or near the focal point of the focused orienting hollow beam. In this arrangement, the particle is trapped at or near the focal point of the focused orienting hollow beam. The orienting hollow beam may be made rotatable in some embodiments.

The present application discloses methods and apparatus for arranging atoms in arrays. A system for arranging atoms within a 3-dimensional space includes an optical system (920) operable to produce a plurality of switchable optical traps (925) within the 3- dimensional space, a sensor (930) configured to detect atoms within the plurality of switchable optical traps, a scanner (990) operable to simultaneously move multiple atoms within the plurality of switchable optical traps, and at least one controller (905) configured to operate the optical system and the scanner to sort atoms within the plurality of switchable optical traps into a desired configuration of atoms, said operation of the optical system and the scanner being based at least in part on sensor data generated by the sensor detecting atoms within the plurality of switchable optical traps.

A proportion adjustable single-photon beam splitter based on cold atom storage includes a two-dimensional magneto-optical trap for receiving a first optical signal to be split; and a coupling beam. The coupling beam is incident at a certain angle with the first optical signal to the two-dimensional magneto-optical trap. The storage time of the two-dimensional magneto-optical trap 1 can be adjusted by controlling the switching time of the coupling beam, and then adjusting a proportion of a photon number of a storage part and a photon number of a leakage part of the first optical signal. A splitting proportion may also be adjusted by controlling an optical depth of the alkali metal atomic group trapped in the two-dimensional magneto-optical trap.

The present application discloses a dead-zone-free cold atom interferometer with a high frequency output. The interferometer includes: a three-dimensional magneto-optical trap, wherein a predetermined angle is formed between the first group of light sources and an atomic beam path, the first group of optical stops are arranged at edges of the first group of light sources and downstream of the atomic beam path, the first group of optical stops block laser light emitted from the first group of light sources, the second group of light sources are orthogonally arranged with respect to the first group of light sources, the second group of optical stops are arranged at edges of the second group of light sources and downstream of the atomic beam path, and the second group of optical stops block laser light emitted from the second group of light sources.

Atom-scale particles, e.g., neutral and charged atoms and molecules, are pre-cooled, e.g., using magneto-optical traps (MOTs), to below 100 μK to yield cold particles. The cold particles are transported to a sensor cell which cools the cold particles to below 1 μK using an optical trap; these particles are stored in a reservoir within an optical trap within the sensor cell so that they are readily available to replenish a sensor population of particles in quantum superposition. A baffle is disposed between the MOTs and the sensor cell to prevent near-resonant light leaking from the MOTs from entering the sensor cell (and exciting the ultra-cold particles in the reservoir). The transporting from the MOTs to the sensor cell is effected by moving optical fringes of optical lattices and guiding the cold particles attached to the fringes along a meandering path through the baffle and into the sensor cell.

A photonically multiplexed optical measurement apparatus for performing optical multiplexing includes a laser that produces laser light, an optical switch that receives the laser light from the laser and produces a switched laser light, and a plurality of sensor heads, each sensor head being configured to measure a respective physical property of a plurality of cold atoms disposed in the sensor head. The optical switch optically switches the laser light from the laser to a selected sensor head and subsequently to a different sensor head.

A quantum-computing device includes an atom-trapping unit configured to generate a three-dimensional array of optical tweezers in an ultra-high-vacuum chamber; an atom source, for generating a beam of atoms that is directed toward the space containing the three-dimensional array of optical tweezers; a magneto-optical system for cooling the atoms, the system being configured to generate, in the space containing the array, a gray molasses; and a system for applying quantum logic gates to atoms trapped in the optical tweezers of the array; and a cryostat for establishing a cryogenic temperature in the ultra-high-vacuum chamber; the atom-trapping unit comprising two lens-holding barrels placed facing, each barrel holding one of the aspherical lenses with a sufficient clearance to compensate for a differential in thermal contraction between the barrel and the lens during a passage from an ambient temperature to a cryogenic temperature.

A nanotweezer and method of trapping and dynamic manipulation thereby are provided. The nanotweezer comprises a first metastructure including a first substrate, a first electrode, and a plurality of plasmonic nanostructures arranged in an array, and a trapping region laterally displaced from the array; a second metastructure including a second substrate and a second electrode; a microfluidic channel between the first metastructure and the second metastructure; a voltage source configured to selectively apply an electric field between the first electrode and the second electrode; and a light source configured to selectively apply an excitation light to the microfluidic channel at a first location corresponding to the array, thereby to trap a nanoparticle at a second location corresponding to the trapping region.