arXiv subjects

S. Whitlock

Publications and source records attributed to S. Whitlock.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

Fast and robust cat state preparation utilizing higher order nonlinearities in Rydberg ensembles

In optical and solid-state architectures, low-order nonlinearities are commonly exploited for quantum state preparation due to their practical accessibility and controllability, while higher-order contributions are typically much weaker and treated as unwanted perturbations. Here, we alternatively show that detuned Rydberg ensembles provide a natural platform where higher-order Kerr nonlinearities can become comparable in strength to lower-orders near multiphoton resonances. We demonstrate that these nonlinearities can be harnessed as a resource for the rapid preparation of non-Gaussian states, with the coexistence of multiple Kerr orders substantially accelerating the evolution of an initial coherent state into Schr\"odinger cat states. Furthermore, by combining the nonlinear dynamics with a controllable linear drive, we can gain the full control over the evolution trajectory, thereby achieving cat-state generation directly from vacuum on timescales beyond the genuine Kerr evolution. Our results establish a paradigm in which naturally occurring higher-order nonlinearities are transformed from unwanted imperfections into a valuable resource for quantum state engineering.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Efficient Quantum Oracle for Solving Bilinear Diophantine Equations on Digital Quantum Computers

We present a concrete oracle construction for bilinear Diophantine equations of the form $f(x,y) = Axy + Bx + Cy + D$, together with its application as a scalable, hardware-agnostic benchmark for digital quantum computers. The oracle can be used in a Grover search algorithm in two variants suitable for both noisy-intermediate scale quantum devices and early fault-tolerant quantum processors. Applied to integer factoring via a residue-class encoding, the circuit requires $2n-5$ qubits or fewer to factor an $n$-bit biprime $N = pq$; for $N = 143$ requiring as few as 7 qubits and 135 two-qubit gates compared to 19 qubits and 51,048 two-qubit gates for a qubit-efficient variant of Shor's algorithm. Large-scale simulations confirm a success probability approaching 100\% for $>$800 randomly selected biprimes with $5 \leq n \leq 35$. The circuit family provides a scalable, deterministically convergent and easily verifiable benchmark in a range accessible to near term quantum hardware.

physics.gen-ph↗

arXiv2020

Quantum simulation and computing with Rydberg-interacting qubits

Arrays of optically trapped atoms excited to Rydberg states have recently emerged as a competitive physical platform for quantum simulation and computing, where high-fidelity state preparation and readout, quantum logic gates and controlled quantum dynamics of more than 100 qubits have all been demonstrated. These systems are now approaching the point where reliable quantum computations with hundreds of qubits and realistically thousands of multiqubit gates with low error rates should be within reach for the first time. In this article we give an overview of the Rydberg quantum toolbox, emphasizing the high degree of flexibility for encoding qubits, performing quantum operations and engineering quantum many-body Hamiltonians. We then review the state-of-the-art concerning high-fidelity quantum operations and logic gates as well as quantum simulations in many-body regimes. Finally, we discuss computing schemes that are particularly suited to the Rydberg platform and some of the remaining challenges on the road to general purpose quantum simulators and quantum computers.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Hydrodynamic stabilization of self-organized criticality in a driven Rydberg gas

Signatures of self-organized criticality (SOC) have recently been observed in an ultracold atomic gas under continuous laser excitation to strongly-interacting Rydberg states [S. Helmrich et al., Nature, 577, 481--486 (2020)]. This creates a unique possibility to study this intriguing dynamical phenomenon, e.g., to probe its robustness and universality, under controlled experimental conditions. Here we examine the self-organizing dynamics of a driven ultracold gas and identify an unanticipated feedback mechanism, which is especially important for systems coupled to thermal baths. It sustains an extended critical region in the trap center for a notably long time via hydrodynamic transport of particles from the flanks of the cloud toward the center. This compensates the avalanche-induced atom loss and leads to a characteristic flat-top density profile, providing an additional experimental signature for SOC and minimizing effects of inhomogeneity on the SOC features.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2020

Epidemic growth and Griffiths effects on an emergent network of excited atoms

Whether it be physical, biological or social processes, complex systems exhibit dynamics that are exceedingly difficult to understand or predict from underlying principles. Here we report a striking correspondence between the collective excitation dynamics of a laser driven ultracold gas of Rydberg atoms and the spreading of diseases, which in turn opens up a highly controllable experimental platform for studying non-equilibrium dynamics on complex networks. We find that the competition between facilitated excitation and spontaneous decay results in a fast growth of the number of excitations that follows a characteristic sub-exponential time dependence which is empirically observed as a key feature of real epidemics. Based on this we develop a quantitative microscopic susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) model which links the growth and final excitation density to the dynamics of an emergent heterogeneous network and rare active region effects associated to an extended Griffiths phase. This provides physical insights into the nature of non-equilibrium criticality in driven many-body systems and the mechanisms leading to non-universal power-laws in the dynamics of complex systems.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2019

Preparation of hundreds of microscopic atomic ensembles in optical tweezer arrays

We present programmable two-dimensional arrays of microscopic atomic ensembles consisting of more than 400 sites with nearly uniform filling and small atom number fluctuations. Our approach involves direct projection of light patterns from a digital micromirror device with high spatial resolution onto an optical pancake trap acting as a reservoir. This makes it possible to load large arrays of tweezers in a single step with high occupation numbers and low power requirements per tweezer. Each atomic ensemble is confined to $\sim 1\,\mu$m$^3$ with a controllable occupation from 20 to 200 atoms and with (sub)-Poissonian atom number fluctuations. Thus they are ideally suited for quantum simulation and for realizing large arrays of collectively encoded Rydberg-atom qubits for quantum information processing.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2019

Glassy dynamics in a disordered Heisenberg quantum spin system

Understanding the dynamics of strongly interacting disordered quantum systems is one of the most challenging problems in modern science, due to features such as the breakdown of thermalization and the emergence of glassy phases of matter. We report on the observation of anomalous relaxation dynamics in an isolated XXZ quantum spin system realized by an ultracold gas of atoms initially prepared in a superposition of two-different Rydberg states. The total magnetization is found to exhibit sub-exponential relaxation analogous to classical glassy dynamics, but in the quantum case this relaxation originates from the build-up of non-classical correlations. In both experiment and semi-classical simulations, we find the evolution towards a randomized state is independent of the strength of disorder up to a critical value. This hints towards a unifying description of relaxation dynamics in disordered isolated quantum systems, analogous to the generalization of statistical mechanics to out-of-equilibrium scenarios in classical spin glasses.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Unitary and non-unitary quantum cellular automata with Rydberg arrays

We propose a physical realization of quantum cellular automata (QCA) using arrays of ultracold atoms excited to Rydberg states. The key ingredient is the use of programmable multifrequency couplings which generalize the Rydberg blockade and facilitation effects to a broader set of non-additive, unitary and non-unitary (dissipative) conditional interactions. Focusing on a 1D array we define a set of elementary QCA rules that generate complex and varied quantum dynamical behavior. Finally we demonstrate theoretically that Rydberg QCA is ideally suited for variational quantum optimization protocols and quantum state engineering by finding parameters that generate highly entangled states as the steady state of the quantum dynamics.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Realization of a Rydberg-dressed Ramsey interferometer and electrometer

We present the experimental realization and characterization of a Ramsey interferometer based on optically trapped ultracold potassium atoms, where one state is continuously coupled by an off-resonant laser field to a highly-excited Rydberg state. We show that the observed interference signals can be used to precisely measure the Rydberg atom-light coupling strength as well as the population and coherence decay rates of the Rydberg-dressed states with sub-kilohertz accuracy and for Rydberg state fractions as small as one part in $10^{6}$. We also demonstrate an application for measuring small, static electric fields with high sensitivity. This provides the means to combine the outstanding coherence properties of Ramsey interferometers based on atomic ground states with a controllable coupling to strongly interacting states, thus expanding the number of systems suitable for metrological applications and many-body physics studies.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2018

Diffusive to non-ergodic dipolar transport in a dissipative atomic medium

We investigate the dipole mediated transport of Rydberg impurities through an ultracold gas of atoms excited to an auxiliary Rydberg state. In one experiment we continuously probe the system by coupling the auxiliary Rydberg state to a rapidly decaying state which realizes a dissipative medium. In-situ imaging of the impurities reveals diffusive spreading controlled by the intensity of the probe laser. By preparing the same density of hopping partners but then switching off the dressing fields the spreading is effectively frozen. This is consistent with numerical simulations which indicate the coherently evolving system enters a non-ergodic extended phase due to disorder. This opens the way to study transport and localization phenomena in systems with long-range hopping and controllable dissipation.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2018

Signatures of Self-Organised Criticality in an Ultracold Atomic Gas

Self organisation provides an elegant explanation for how complex structures emerge and persist throughout nature. Surprisingly often, these structures exhibit remarkably similar scale-invariant properties. While this is sometimes captured by simple models that feature a critical point as an attractor for the dynamics, the connection to real-world systems is exceptionally hard to test quantitatively. Here we observe three key signatures of self-organised criticality in the dynamics of a driven-dissipative gas of ultracold atoms: (i) self-organisation to a stationary state that is largely independent of the initial conditions, (ii) scale-invariance of the final density characterised by a unique scaling function, and (iii) large fluctuations of the number of excited atoms (avalanches) obeying a characteristic power-law distribution. This establishes a well-controlled platform for investigating self-organisation phenomena and non-equilibrium criticality with unprecedented experimental access to the underlying microscopic details of the system.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2017

Relaxation of an isolated dipolar-interacting Rydberg quantum spin system

How do isolated quantum systems approach an equilibrium state? We experimentally and theoretically address this question for a prototypical spin system formed by ultracold atoms prepared in two Rydberg states with different orbital angular momenta. By coupling these states with a resonant microwave driving we realize a dipolar XY spin-1/2 model in an external field. Starting from a spin-polarized state we suddenly switch on the external field and monitor the subsequent many-body dynamics. Our key observation is density dependent relaxation of the total magnetization much faster than typical decoherence rates. To determine the processes governing this relaxation we employ different theoretical approaches which treat quantum effects on initial conditions and dynamical laws separately. This allows us to identify an intrinsically quantum component to the relaxation attributed to primordial quantum fluctuations.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2016

Uncovering the non-equilibrium phase structure of an open quantum spin system

We experimentally and theoretically investigate the non-equilibrium phase structure of a well-controlled driven-disspative quantum spin system governed by the interplay of coherent driving, spontaneous decay and long-range spin-spin interactions. We discover that the rate of population loss provides a convenient macroscopic observable that exhibits power-law scaling with the driving strength over several orders of magnitude. The measured scaling exponents reflect the underlying non-equilibrium phase structure of the many-body system, which includes dissipation-dominated, paramagnetic and critical regimes as well as an instability which drives the system towards states with high excitation density. This opens up a new means to study and classify quantum systems out of equilibrium and extends the domain where scale-invariant behavior may be found in nature.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2016

Density matrix reconstruction of three-level atoms via Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency

We present combined measurements of the spatially-resolved optical spectrum and the total excited-atom number in an ultracold gas of three-level atoms under electromagnetically induced transparency conditions involving high-lying Rydberg states. The observed optical transmission of a weak probe laser at the center of the coupling region exhibits a double peaked spectrum as a function of detuning, whilst the Rydberg atom number shows a comparatively narrow single resonance. By imaging the transmitted light onto a charge-coupled-device camera, we record hundreds of spectra in parallel, which are used to map out the spatial profile of Rabi frequencies of the coupling laser. Using all the information available we can reconstruct the full one-body density matrix of the three-level system, which provides the optical susceptibility and the Rydberg density as a function of spatial position. These results help elucidate the connection between three-level interference phenomena, including the interplay of matter and light degrees of freedom and will facilitate new studies of many-body effects in optically driven Rydberg gases.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2015

Two-body interactions and decay of three-level Rydberg-dressed atoms

We theoretically analyze the interactions and decay rates for atoms dressed by multiple laser fields to strongly interacting Rydberg states using a quantum master equation approach. In this framework a comparison of two-level and three-level Rydberg-dressing schemes is presented. We identify a resonant enhancement of the three-level dressed interaction strength which originates from cooperative multiphoton couplings as well as small distance dependent decay rates. In this regime the soft-core shape of the potential is independent of the sign of the bare Rydberg-Rydberg interaction, while its sign can be repulsive or attractive depending on the intermediate state detuning. As a consequence, near-resonant Rydberg dressing in three-level atomic systems may enable the realization of laser driven quantum fluids with long-range and anisotropic interactions and with controllable dissipation.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2015

Quantum simulation of energy transport with embedded Rydberg aggregates

We show that an array of ultracold Rydberg atoms embedded in a laser driven background gas can serve as an aggregate for simulating exciton dynamics and energy transport with a controlled environment. Spatial disorder and decoherence introduced by the interaction with the background gas atoms can be controlled by the laser parameters. This allows for an almost ideal realization of a Haken-Reineker-Strobl type model for energy transport. Physics can be monitored using the same mechanism that provides control over the environment. The degree of decoherence is traced back to information gained on the excitation location through the monitoring, turning the setup into an experimentally accessible model system for studying the effects of quantum measurements on the dynamics of a many-body quantum system.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2015

Correlated Exciton Transport in Rydberg-Dressed-Atom Spin Chains

We investigate the transport of excitations through a chain of atoms with non-local dissipation introduced through coupling to additional short-lived states. The system is described by an effective spin-1/2 model where the ratio of the exchange interaction strength to the reservoir coupling strength determines the type of transport, including coherent exciton motion, incoherent hopping and a regime in which an emergent length scale leads to a preferred hopping distance far beyond nearest neighbors. For multiple impurities, the dissipation gives rise to strong nearest-neighbor correlations and entanglement. These results highlight the importance of non-trivial dissipation, correlations and many-body effects in recent experiments on the dipole-mediated transport of Rydberg excitations.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2014

Sub-micron period lattice structures of magnetic microtraps for ultracold atoms on an atom chip

We report on the design, fabrication and characterization of magnetic nanostructures to create a lattice of magnetic traps with sub--micron period for trapping ultracold atoms. These magnetic nanostructures were fabricated by patterning a Co/Pd multilayered magnetic film grown on a silicon substrate using high precision e-beam lithography and reactive ion etching. The Co/Pd film was chosen for its small grain size and high remanent magnetization and coercivity. The fabricated structures are designed to magnetically trap $^{87}$Rb atoms above the surface of the magnetic film with 1D and 2D (triangular and square) lattice geometries and sub-micron period. Such magnetic lattices can be used for quantum tunneling and quantum simulation experiments, including using geometries and periods that may be inaccessible with optical lattice.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗