Related papers: Ultrasensitive force and displacement detection us…
A high sensitivity force sensor based on dielectric microspheres in vacuum, optically trapped by a single, upward-propagating laser beam, is described. Off-axis parabolic mirrors are used both to focus the 1064~nm trapping beam and to…
We propose a new technique for the detection of single atoms in ultracold quantum gases. The technique is based on scanning electron microscopy and employs the electron impact ionization of trapped atoms with a focussed electron probe.…
We demonstrate spectroscopy and thermometry of individual motional modes in a mesoscopic 2D ion array using entanglement-induced decoherence as a method of transduction. Our system is a $\sim$400 $\mu$m-diameter planar crystal of several…
A nanofiber-based optical tweezer is demonstrated. Trapping is achieved by combining attractive near-field optical gradient forces with repulsive electrostatic forces. Silica-coated Fe$_2$O$_3$ nanospheres of 300 diameter are trapped as…
Atomic Parity Violation provides the rare opportunity of a low energy window into possible new fundamental processes at very high mass scales normally investigated at large high energy accelerators. Precise measurements on atomic systems…
Precise control of charged particles in radio-frequency (Paul) traps requires minimising excess micromotion induced by stray electric fields. We present a method to detect and compensate such fields through amplitude modulation of the…
We demonstrate an optical method for detecting the mechanical oscillations of an atom with single-phonon sensitivity. The measurement signal results from the interference between the light scattered by a single trapped atomic ion and that…
We demonstrate a general method for state detection of trapped ions that can be applied to a large class of atomic and molecular species. We couple a "spectroscopy" ion (Al+) to a "control" ion (Mg+) in the same trap and perform state…
The present paper describes the experimental implementation of a measuring technique employing a slowly moving, near resonant, optical standing wave in the context of trapped ions. It is used to measure several figures of merit that are…
Recent advances in quantum information processing with trapped ions have demonstrated the need for new ion trap architectures capable of holding and manipulating chains of many (>10) ions. Here we present the design and detailed…
Atomic force spectroscopy and microscopy (AFM) are invaluable tools to characterize nanostructures and biological systems. Most experiments, including state-of-the-art images of molecular bonds, are achieved by driving probes at their…
We have developed a novel scheme to measure the secular motion of trapped ions. Employing pulsed excitation and analysis of the fluorescence of laser cooled ions, we have measured the centre-of-mass mode frequency of single as well as…
Optical systems capable of generating fields with sub-wavelength spatial features have become standard in science and engineering research and industry. Pertinent examples include atom- and ion-based quantum computers and optical…
Scaling trapped-ion quantum computing will require robust trapping of at least hundreds of ions over long periods, while increasing the complexity and functionality of the trap itself. Symmetric 3D structures enable high trap depth, but…
In this paper, direct observation of micromotion for multiple ions in a laser-cooled trapped ion crystal is discussed along with a novel measurement technique for micromotion amplitude. Micromotion is directly observed using a…
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been constantly supporting nanosciences and nanotechnologies for over 30 years, being present in many fields from condensed matter physics to biology. It enables measuring very weak forces at the nanoscale,…
Mechanical force is an essential feature for many physical and biological processes.1-12 Remote measurement of mechanical signals with high sensitivity and spatial resolution is needed for diverse applications, including robotics,13…
We report on the realization of a quantum sensor based on trapped atom interferometry in an optical lattice for the measurement of atom-surface interactions, with sub-micrometer-level control of the mean atom-surface separation distance.…
We recently used a compact Penning trap to capture and isolate highly-charged ions extracted from an electron beam ion trap (EBIT) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Isolated charge states of highly-stripped argon…
We propose force sensing protocols using linear ion chain which can operate beyond the quantum standard limit. We show that oscillating forces that are off-resonance with the motional trap frequency can be detected very efficiently by using…