Single-atom imaging of ${}^{173}$Yb in optical tweezers loaded by a five-beam magneto-optical trap

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates efficient trapping, cooling, and high-fidelity imaging of individual ${}^{173}$Yb atoms in optical tweezers using a simplified five-beam magneto-optical trap, enabling advancements in quantum science applications.

Contribution

The authors introduce a novel five-beam MOT configuration for ytterbium atoms that simplifies setup and achieves single-atom imaging of ${}^{173}$Yb without magic-wavelength trapping.

Findings

Achieved 99.96% single-atom detection fidelity.

Demonstrated high survival probability of 98.5%.

Successfully imaged ${}^{173}$Yb atoms with high resolution.

Abstract

We report on the trapping and imaging of individual ytterbium atoms in arrays of optical tweezers, loaded from a magneto-optical trap (MOT) formed by only five beams in an orthogonal configuration. In our five-beam MOT, operating on the narrow ${}^1$S${}_0 \rightarrow {}^3$P${}_1$ intercombination transition, gravity balances the radiation pressure of a single upward-directed beam. This approach enables efficient trapping and cooling of the most common ytterbium isotopes (${}^{171}$Yb, ${}^{173}$Yb and ${}^{174}$Yb) to $\lesssim 20\,\mu$K at densities $\sim 10^{11}$ atoms/cm$^3$ within less than one second. This configuration allows for significantly reducing the complexity of the optical setup, potentially benefiting any ytterbium-atom based quantum science platform leveraging single-atom microscopy, from quantum processors to novel optical clocks. We then demonstrate the first single-atom-resolved imaging of the fermionic, large-spin isotope ${}^{173}$Yb ($I=5/2$), employing a two-color imaging scheme that does not rely on magic-wavelength trapping. We achieve a high single-atom detection fidelity of $99.96(1)\%$ and a large survival probability of $98.5(2)\%$, despite large differential light shifts affecting all nuclear spin sublevels of the excited ${}^3$P${}_1$ state involved in the cooling transition. The demonstrated capabilities will play a key role in future quantum simulations and computing applications with ${}^{173}$Yb arrays.