Optical read-out of the quantum motion of an array of atoms-based mechanical oscillators

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates an ultracold atoms-based cavity optomechanical system with six distinguishable oscillators, achieving near ground state motion detection and nanometer-scale spatial resolution for in-situ sensing applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel system that allows selective addressing and detection of multiple atomic oscillators with high precision, advancing quantum control and sensing capabilities.

Findings

Selective addressing of individual oscillators with >95% fidelity.

Achieved near ground state motional detection of multiple oscillators.

Enabled nanometer-scale spatial resolution for optomechanical imaging.

Abstract

We create an ultracold-atoms-based cavity optomechanical system in which as many as six distinguishable mechanical oscillators are prepared, and optically detected, near their ground states of motion. We demonstrate that the motional state of one oscillator can be selectively addressed while preserving neighboring oscillators near their ground states to better than 95% per excitation quantum. We also show that our system offers nanometer-scale spatial resolution of each mechanical element via optomechanical imaging. This technique enables in-situ, parallel sensing of potential landscapes, a capability relevant to active research areas of atomic physics and force-field detection in optomechanics.