Fast and Quasideterministic Single Ion Source from a Dipole-Blockaded Atomic Ensemble

TL;DR

This paper introduces a rapid, nearly deterministic method for generating single ions and electrons from laser-cooled atoms using a dipole blockade and electric field ionization, with potential applications in quantum technologies.

Contribution

It proposes a novel two-step protocol combining Rydberg excitation and electric ionization, modeled with dynamical quantum maps, enabling fast single-particle production from fluctuating atomic clouds.

Findings

Achieves fast, heralded single ion/electron production.

Demonstrates control over ionization dynamics via laser parameters.

Shows robustness of the method in unstructured atomic ensembles.

Abstract

We present a fast and Quasideterministic protocol for the production of single ions and electrons from a cloud of laser cooled atoms. The approach is based on a two-step process where first a single Rydberg atom is photo-excited from a dipole-blockade configuration and subsequently ionized by an electric field pulse. We theoretically describe these excitation-ionization cycles via dynamical quantum maps and observe a rich behavior of the ionization dynamics as a function of laser Rabi frequency, pulse duration and particle number. Our results show that a fast sequential heralded production of single charged particles is achievable even from an unstructured and fluctuating atomic ensemble.