Spin-selective coherent light scattering from ion crystals

TL;DR

This study demonstrates spin-dependent coherent light scattering from ion crystals, revealing spin textures and their dynamics through interference patterns and Fourier analysis, advancing understanding of quantum light-matter interactions in ion arrays.

Contribution

It introduces a method for spin-selective excitation and observes spin-dependent interference patterns in ion crystals, providing new insights into their quantum optical properties.

Findings

Spin-dependent interference patterns observed in ion crystals.

Temporal evolution of spatial Fourier frequencies measured.

Demonstration of spin-selective excitation in ion arrays.

Abstract

We study coherent light scattering from linear crystals with up to twelve $^{40}\text{Ca}^+$ ions, acting as single photon emitters. Light-scattering is induced by two-photon laser excitation, starting from the S$_{1/2}\rightarrow$ D$_{5/2}$ quadrupole transition at 729~nm followed by the D$_{5/2}\rightarrow$ P$_{3/2}$ dipole transition at 854~nm, from where the ions decay back to the S$_{1/2}$ ground state via emission of a photon near 393~nm. We realize spin-selective excitation from the Zeeman-split ground states S$_{1/2}$, m$= \pm 1/2$, of the $\text{Ca}^+$ ions and observe in the far field spin-dependent interference patterns displaying the spin textures of the ion crystals. We investigate their dynamics by measuring the temporal evolution of the spatial Fourier frequencies of the observed patterns.