English

Experimental Determination of the $D1$ Magic Wavelength for $^{40}$K

Atomic Physics 2026-04-15 v1 Quantum Gases

Abstract

Neutral-atom arrays offer a promising path for quantum simulation, yet the potential of fermionic 40^{40}K remains largely constrained by state-dependent light shifts that degrade cooling and detection fidelities. This problem can be resolved by working at a magic wavelength, where the differential light shift vanishes. We report the first experimental determination of the magic wavelength for the D1 transition in fermionic 40^{40}K at 1227.54(3) nm. Using in-trap loss spectroscopy in a wavelength-tunable optical tweezer, we map the differential AC Stark shift across a range of trapping powers and wavelengths. By converting these shifts to differential scalar polarizabilities, we find excellent agreement with relativistic all-order calculations. Benchmark measurements at 1064.49 nm further reveal the significant intensity-sampling systematics that plague standard trapping wavelengths, contrasting with the "mechanically clean" environment provided by the magic condition. Our results provide an important step toward high-fidelity in-trap D1 cooling, fluorescence imaging, and light-assisted loading, establishing a robust path toward scaling fermionic neutral-atom arrays for quantum information science.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2604.12448,
  title  = {Experimental Determination of the $D1$ Magic Wavelength for $^{40}$K},
  author = {Guy Hay Kalifa and Dor Kopelevitch and Amir Stern and Yoav Sagi},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2604.12448},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

6 pages, 5 figures