Fast single atom imaging for optical lattice arrays

TL;DR

This paper introduces a rapid, high-fidelity single-atom imaging technique in optical lattices, reducing imaging time to microseconds and enabling advanced quantum simulations and studies.

Contribution

The work demonstrates a 2.4 microsecond single-atom imaging method with 99.4% fidelity, significantly faster than previous techniques, and explores performance in accordion lattices and number-resolved imaging.

Findings

Achieved 2.4 microsecond imaging with 99.4% fidelity.

Enabled number-resolved imaging without parity projection.

Enhanced capabilities for quantum simulation experiments.

Abstract

High-resolution fluorescence imaging of ultracold atoms and molecules is paramount to performing quantum simulation and computation in optical lattices and tweezers. Imaging durations in these experiments typically range from a millisecond to a second, significantly limiting the cycle time. In this work, we present fast, 2.4 microseconds single-atom imaging in lattices, with 99.4% fidelity - pushing the readout duration of neutral atom quantum platforms to be close to that of superconducting qubit platforms. Additionally, we thoroughly study the performance of accordion lattices. We also demonstrate number-resolved imaging without parity projection, which will facilitate experiments such as the exploration of high-filling phases in the extended Bose-Hubbard models, multi-band or SU(N) Fermi-Hubbard models, and quantum link models.