Preparation of ultra-cold atomic-ensemble arrays using time-multiplexed optical tweezers

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the creation of large arrays of ultra-cold atomic ensembles using time-multiplexed optical tweezers, including cooling, trapping, and transfer protocols, advancing quantum simulation and information processing capabilities.

Contribution

It introduces new protocols for preparing large atomic-ensemble arrays with up to 74 ensembles, surpassing previous methods in scale and efficiency.

Findings

Arrays of up to 74 atomic ensembles were prepared.

Evaporative cooling was successfully applied to arrays of up to 25 traps.

Maximal time between pulses was studied to optimize atom retention.

Abstract

We use optical tweezers based on time-multiplexed acousto-optic deflectors to trap ultra-cold cesium atoms in one-dimensional arrays of atomic ensembles. For temperatures between 2.5 $\mu$K and 50 nK we study the maximal time between optical tweezer pulses that retains the number of atoms in a single trap. This time provides an estimate on the maximal number of sites in an array of time-multiplexed optical tweezers. We demonstrate evaporative cooling of atoms in arrays of up to 25 optical tweezer traps and the preparation of atoms in a box potential. Additionally, we demonstrate three different protocols for the preparation of atomic-ensemble arrays by transfer from an expanding ultra-cold atomic cloud. These result in the preparation of arrays of up to 74 atomic ensembles consisting of $\sim$100 atoms on average.