arXiv subjects

I. B. Spielman

Publications and source records attributed to I. B. Spielman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Dual-species alkali and alkaline-earth-like optical tweezer arrays via interferometrically aligned high-NA objectives

We have developed a dual-species optical tweezer array apparatus combining $^{87}\text{Rb}$ and $^{174}\text{Yb}$ atoms with a permanent hybrid Twyman-Green--Fizeau interferometer, which provides precision co-alignment of two opposing 0.6-numerical aperture (NA) objectives and the high NA beams that pass through the system. This technique is extensible to other tweezer platforms operating at high numerical aperture across widely-separated wavelengths. Here we present simultaneous trapping and single-site resolved imaging of both species in co-aligned tweezer arrays with $^{87}\text{Rb}$ confined at $840\ \rm{nm}$ and $^{174}\text{Yb}$ at $532\ \rm{nm}$. The platform provides a foundation for hybrid quantum register operation, including mid-circuit measurements and asymmetric intra- and inter-species interactions, greatly expanding the capabilities of neutral atom arrays.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2026

Quantum transport in a non-Hermitian 1D synthetic lattice: from quantum Zeno reflection to near-perfect absorption

We experimentally explore the absorption of a propagating wavepacket impinging upon a dissipative region in an engineered quantum system. We employ a 1D non-Hermitian synthetic lattice with an abrupt interface between dissipative and non-dissipative subchains, using the states of the electronic ground-state hyperfine manifold in a $^{87}$Rb Bose-Einstein condensate as sites. By tuning the dissipation rate, we observe a progression from ballistic propagation, to near-perfect absorption, to quantum Zeno reflection. Guided by numerical simulations, we identify that optimal absorption occurs when tunneling and dissipation are properly matched, and find qualitative agreement with an idealized semi-infinite model across all dissipation regimes. Our results establish synthetic lattices as a versatile Quantum simulation platform for dissipation-engineered quantum transport and highlight controlled dissipation as a resource for tailoring quantum dynamics.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2026

In situ magnetic-field stabilization for quantum-gas experiments

We demonstrate a minimally-destructive in situ technique for measuring and stabilizing slowly-drifting magnetic fields in ultracold-atom experiments. While conventional magnetic-field sensors such as Hall, giant magnetoresistive, or fluxgate-based devices are broadly used, their accuracy, precision and dynamic range can be limited. In addition, these sensors are typically positioned at least several centimeters away from the in-vacuum atomic system, as their operation creates perturbing magnetic fields, and their placement is limited by geometric constraints imposed by the vacuum system. We overcome these issues by using the atomic system itself as a built-in magnetometer. To that end, we employ a pair of weak measurements to determine the Zeeman splitting -- and thereby the magnetic field -- of a magnetically sensitive atomic transition. We provide closed-form expressions quantifying the trade-offs between measurement noise, dynamic range, and atom loss. This procedure is demonstrated with ultracold Rb-87, weakly measured using partial-transfer absorption imaging. We then incorporate a Kalman filter to stabilize the magnetic field; this eliminated long-term drift in the ambient field (as high as ~70 nT/hr) in exchange for a modest increase in shot-to-shot variability from 1.8(2) nT to 2.0(2) nT.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2026

Q-GAIN: A Python Package for Machine Learning and Physically Informed Analysis Applications

Here we describe the quantum gas analysis and inference (Q-GAIN) Python package, which enables rapid deployment of machine learning (ML) and physics-informed analysis techniques for cold-atom experiments. Out of the box, Q-GAIN implements classification, object detection, and physics-informed metrics for feature detection in images of atomic Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). Q-GAIN encourages a natural, module-based workflow: starting with data loading and preprocessing, followed by ML-based feature identification, and ending with conventional analysis techniques. We demonstrate this modularity by configuring Q-GAIN for three ML tasks. First, we demonstrate the basic workflow of the Q-GAIN framework by implementing the standard task of classifying handwritten digits from the MNIST dataset. Then, we re-implement our earlier soliton detection (SolDet) package in the Q-GAIN framework, enabling the detection and analysis of solitonic excitations in time-of-flight data. Finally, we develop an object-detection tool that identifies quantized vortices in images of ring-shaped BECs.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2026

Quadrature amplitude modulation for electronic sideband Pound-Drever-Hall laser frequency locking

The Pound--Drever--Hall (PDH) technique is routinely used to stabilize the frequency of a laser to a reference cavity. Electronic sideband (ESB) locking, a PDH variant, bridges the frequency gap between the discrete cavity resonances and a desired laser frequency. Here we use quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), a standard technique in digital communications, to generate the high-quality phase-modulated radio-frequency (rf) drive required for ESB locking. We develop a theoretical framework to analyze how in-phase/quadrature-phase (I/Q) impairments distort the ESB error signal and induce frequency offsets relevant to ultranarrow-linewidth lasers. We then design and implement a direct software-defined radio (SDR) on an UltraScale+ RFSoC platform, frequently adopted across modern quantum-computing systems, to digitally compensate QAM I/Q impairments. Using this device, we generate phase-modulated rf signals with a large phase-modulation index of $1.01$ rad and root-mean-square I/Q errors below $0.3\ \%$ over a carrier-frequency range of $350~\mathrm{MHz}$ to $1.75~\mathrm{GHz}$. Finally, we lock a laser to an ultralow expansion (ULE) reference cavity and demonstrate continuous laser-frequency tuning by ramping the carrier frequency while maintaining lock, validating the continuous tunability of our ESB locking instrument.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2025

Nondestructive characterization of laser-cooled atoms using machine learning

We develop machine learning techniques for estimating physical properties of laser-cooled potassium-39 atoms in a magneto-optical trap using only the scattered light -- i.e., fluorescence -- that is intrinsic to the cooling process. In-situ snap-shot images of fluorescing atomic ensembles directly reveal the spatial structure of these millimeter-scale objects but contain no obvious information regarding internal properties such as the temperature. We first assembled and labeled a balanced dataset sampling $8\times10^3$ different experimental parameters that includes examples with: large and dense atomic ensembles, a complete absence of atoms, and everything in between. We describe a range of models trained to predict atom number and temperature solely from fluorescence images. These run the gamut from a poorly performing linear regression model based only on integrated fluorescence to deep neural networks that give number and temperature with fractional uncertainties of $0.1$ and $0.2$ respectively.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2025

Dynamical Structure Factor from Weak Measurements

Much of our knowledge of quantum systems is encapsulated in the expectation value of Hermitian operators, experimentally obtained by averaging projective measurements. However, dynamical properties are often described by products of operators evaluated at different times; such observables cannot be measured by individual projective measurements, which occur at a single time. For example, the dynamical structure factor describes the propagation of density excitations, such as phonons, and is derived from the spatial density operator evaluated at different times. Conventionally, this is measured by first exciting the system at a specific wavevector and frequency, then measuring the response. Here, we describe an alternative approach using a pair of time-separated weak measurements, and analytically show that their cross-correlation function directly recovers the dynamical structure factor. We provide numerical confirmation of this technique with a matrix product states simulation of the one-dimensional Bose-Hubbard model, weakly measured by phase contrast imaging. We explore the limits of the method and demonstrate its applicability to real experiments with limited imaging resolution.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Measurement resolution enhanced coherence for lattice fermions

Weak measurement enables the extraction of targeted information from a quantum system while minimizing decoherence due to measurement backaction. However, in many-body quantum systems backaction can have unexpected effects on wavefunction collapse. We theoretically study a minimal many-particle model consisting of weakly measured non-interacting fermions in a one dimensional lattice. Repeated measurement of on-site occupation number with single-site resolution stochastically drives the system toward a Fock state, regardless of the initial state. This need not be the case for measurements that do not, even in principle, have single-site spatial resolution. We numerically show for systems with up to 16 sites that decreasing the spatial resolution strongly affects both the rate of stochastic evolution for each quantum trajectory and the allowed final states. The full Hilbert space can be partitioned into backaction-free subspaces (BFSs) the elements of which are indistinguishable to these measurements. Repeated measurements will drive any initial state into a single BFS, leading to a steady state that is a fixed point of the measurement process. We exactly calculate the properties of these BFSs for systems up to 32 sites and find that even for moderate reductions in measurement resolution they yield non-trivial steady state entanglement and coherence.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2024

Stationary solitons in F=1 spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensates

We consider solitary wave excitations above the ground state of $F=1$ spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensates (SOBECs). The low energy properties of SOBECs in any of the three branches of the single particle dispersion relation can be described by suitable scalar nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equations which we obtain using multiple-scale expansions. This enables us to examine a variety of different configurations, such as dark solitary waves associated with higher energy branches, as well as dark and bright structures in the lowest branch. The lowest branch can also exhibit a ``superstripe'' phase that supports solitary waves. In all cases, we provide explicit expressions for the NLS coefficients, and confirm their validity with full numerical simulations of the SOBEC system including a harmonic confining potential.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2023

Dark solitons in Bose-Einstein condensates: a dataset for many-body physics research

We establish a dataset of over $1.6\times10^4$ experimental images of Bose--Einstein condensates containing solitonic excitations to enable machine learning (ML) for many-body physics research. About $33~\%$ of this dataset has manually assigned and carefully curated labels. The remainder is automatically labeled using SolDet -- an implementation of a physics-informed ML data analysis framework -- consisting of a convolutional-neural-network-based classifier and OD as well as a statistically motivated physics-informed classifier and a quality metric. This technical note constitutes the definitive reference of the dataset, providing an opportunity for the data science community to develop more sophisticated analysis tools, to further understand nonlinear many-body physics, and even advance cold atom experiments.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2022

Dynamical Instability of 3d Stationary and Traveling Planar Dark Solitons

Here we revisit the topic of stationary and propagating solitonic excitations in self-repulsive three-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensates by quantitatively comparing theoretical analysis and associated numerical computations with our experimental results. Using fully 3d numerical simulations, we explore the existence, stability, and evolution dynamics of planar dark solitons, as well as their instability-induced decay products including solitonic vortices and vortex rings. In the trapped case and with no adjustable parameters, our numerical findings are in correspondence with experimentally observed coherent structures. Without a longitudinal trap, we identify numerically exact traveling solutions and quantify how their transverse destabilization threshold changes as a function of the solitary wave speed.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2022

Feedback cooled Bose-Einstein condensation: near and far from equilibrium

Continuously measured interacting quantum systems almost invariably heat, causing loss of quantum coherence. Here, we study Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) subject to repeated weak measurement of the atomic density and describe several protocols for generating a feedback signal designed to remove excitations created by measurement backaction. We use a stochastic Gross-Pitaevskii equation to model the system dynamics and find that a feedback protocol utilizing momentum dependant gain and filtering can effectively cool both 1D and 2D systems. The performance of these protocols is quantified in terms of the steady state energy, entropy, and condensed fraction. These are the first feedback cooling protocols demonstrated in 2D, and in 1D our optimal protocol reduces the equilibrium energy by more than a factor of 100 as compared with a previous cooling protocol developed using the same methodology. We also use this protocol to quench-cool 1D BECs from non-condensed highly excited states and find that they rapidly condense into a far from equilibrium state with energy orders of magnitude higher than the equilibrium ground state energy for that condensate fraction. We explain this in terms of the near-integrability of our 1D system, whereby efficiently cooled low momentum modes are effectively decoupled from the energetic `reservoir' of the higher momentum modes. We observe that the quench-cooled condensed states can have non-zero integer winding numbers described by quantized supercurrents.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2022

Combining machine learning with physics: A framework for tracking and sorting multiple dark solitons

In ultracold-atom experiments, data often comes in the form of images which suffer information loss inherent in the techniques used to prepare and measure the system. This is particularly problematic when the processes of interest are complicated, such as interactions among excitations in Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). In this paper, we describe a framework combining machine learning (ML) models with physics-based traditional analyses to identify and track multiple solitonic excitations in images of BECs. We use an ML-based object detector to locate the solitonic excitations and develop a physics-informed classifier to sort solitonic excitations into physically motivated subcategories. Lastly, we introduce a quality metric quantifying the likelihood that a specific feature is a longitudinal soliton. Our trained implementation of this framework, SolDet, is publicly available as an open-source python package. SolDet is broadly applicable to feature identification in cold-atom images when trained on a suitable user-provided dataset.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2022

Observation of dynamical topology in 1D

Nontrivial topology in lattices is characterized by invariants--such as the Zak phase for one dimensional (1D) lattices--derived from wave functions covering the Brillouin zone. We realized the 1D bipartite Rice-Mele (RM) lattice using ultracold $^{87}$Rb and focus on lattice configurations possessing various combinations of chiral, time-reversal and particle-hole symmetries. We quenched between configurations and used a form of quantum state tomography, enabled by diabatically tuning lattice parameters, to directly follow the time evolution of the Zak phase as well as a chiral winding number. The Zak phase evolves continuously; however, when chiral symmetry transiently appears in the out-of-equilibrium system, the chiral winding number is well defined and can take on different integer values. When quenching between two configurations obeying all three symmetries the Zak phase is time independent; we confirm the contrasting prediction of [M. McGinley and N. R.Cooper, PRL 121 090401 (2018)] that chiral symmetry is periodically restored, at which times the winding number changes by $\pm 2$, yielding values that are not present in the native RM Hamiltonian.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2022

Accurate Determination of Hubble Attenuation and Amplification in Expanding and Contracting Cold-Atom Universes

In the expanding universe, relativistic scalar fields are thought to be attenuated by "Hubble friction", which results from the dilation of the underlying spacetime metric. By contrast, in a contracting universe this pseudo-friction would lead to amplification. Here, we experimentally measure with five-fold better accuracy, both Hubble attenuation and amplification in expanding and contracting toroidally-shaped Bose-Einstein condensates, in which phonons are analogous to cosmological scalar fields. We find that the observed attenuation or amplification depends on the temporal phase of the phonon field, which is only possible for non-adiabatic dynamics. The measured strength of the Hubble friction disagrees with recent theory [J. M. Gomez Llorente and J. Plata, {\it Phys. Rev. A} {\bf 100} 043613 (2019) and S. Eckel and T. Jacobson, {\it SciPost Phys.} {\bf 10} 64 (2021)]; because our experiment probes physics outside the scope of this theory -- with large excitations in rings of intermediate thickness -- this indicates the presence of new physics.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Floquet engineering topological Dirac bands

We experimentally realized a time-periodically modulated 1D lattice for ultracold atoms featuring a pair of linear bands, each associated with a Floquet winding number: a topological invariant. These bands are spin-momentum locked and almost perfectly linear everywhere in the Brillouin zone (BZ), making this system a near-ideal realization of the 1D Dirac Hamiltonian. We characterized the Floquet winding number using a form of quantum state tomography, covering the BZ and following the micromotion through one Floquet period. Lastly, we altered the modulation timing to lift the topological protection, opening a gap at the Dirac point that grew in proportion to the deviation from the topological configuration.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2021

Feedback-stabilized dynamical steady states in the Bose-Hubbard model

The implementation of a combination of continuous weak measurement and classical feedback provides a powerful tool for controlling the evolution of quantum systems. In this work, we investigate the potential of this approach from three perspectives. First, we consider a double-well system in the classical large-atom-number limit, deriving the exact equations of motion in the presence of feedback. Second, we consider the same system in the limit of small atom number, revealing the effect that quantum fluctuations have on the feedback scheme. Finally, we explore the behavior of modest sized Hubbard chains using exact numerics, demonstrating the near-deterministic preparation of number states, a tradeoff between local and non-local feedback for state preparation, and evidence of a feedback-driven symmetry-breaking phase transition.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2021

Wilson loop and Wilczek-Zee phase from a non-Abelian gauge field

Quantum states can acquire a geometric phase called the Berry phase after adiabatically traversing a closed loop, which depends on the path not the rate of motion. The Berry phase is analogous to the Aharonov-Bohm phase derived from the electromagnetic vector potential, and can be expressed in terms of an Abelian gauge potential called the Berry connection. Wilczek and Zee extended this concept to include non-Abelian phases -- characterized by the gauge independent Wilson loop -- resulting from non-Abelian gauge potentials. Using an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate, we quantum-engineered a non-Abelian SU(2) gauge field, generated by a Yang monopole located at the origin of a 5-dimensional parameter space. By slowly encircling the monopole, we characterized the Wilczek-Zee phase in terms of the Wilson loop, that depended on the solid-angle subtended by the encircling path: a generalization of Stokes' theorem. This observation marks the observation of the Wilson loop resulting from a non-Abelian point source.

physics.atom-ph↗