Rapid production of uniformly-filled arrays of neutral atoms

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a rapid method to load small arrays of optical tweezers with single rubidium atoms at high efficiency, enabling advanced quantum many-body experiments.

Contribution

It introduces a fast loading technique achieving up to 90% efficiency in under 170 ms for separated traps, and analyzes how trap spacing influences loading efficiency.

Findings

Achieved 90% loading efficiency in less than 170 ms.

Loading efficiency depends on the spacing between traps.

Potential for studying quantum many-body systems with assembled atomic arrays.

Abstract

We demonstrate rapid loading of a small array of optical tweezers with a single $^{87}$Rb atom per site. We find that loading efficiencies of up to 90% per tweezer are achievable in less than 170 ms for traps separated by more than $1.7 \,\mu\text{m}$. Interestingly, we find the load efficiency is affected by nearby traps and present the efficiency as a function of the spacing between two optical tweezers. This enhanced loading, combined with subsequent rearranging of filled sites, will enable the study of quantum many-body systems via quantum gas assembly.