Moving single atoms in the Quantum pioneering research | Spectrum

Dr. Julio Barreiro, the Assistant Professor in charge of the research, explained: “To manipulate individual atoms, you need extraordinary precision to deliver exactly the right amount of energy from each laser pulse. I heard about the precision of Spectrum AWGs from a colleague at CalTech who is using one to move individual atoms in his research and recommended them. Its extreme precision and lack of noise is exactly what we need, otherwise atoms would not go where we want them and, worse, any signal noise would heat up the atoms.”

The first step is to cool a few million strontium atoms to within a few hundred nano-degrees of absolute zero in a vacuum chamber. The next step is to move the ultra-cold atoms into a flat sheet like a pancake again using laser pulses. Then, three lasers that are arranged in a plane at 120 degrees from each other, are fired in turn to propel the atoms into synchronized triangle patterns. These dancing atoms are simulating the quantum behavior of electrons in a lattice of ions.

“This gives us a model of quantum behavior that we can observe with ultra-sensitive cameras as we subject it to changing conditions to see how our predicted result from computer modelling compares with reality,” added Dr. Barreiro, “which is something that you just cannot do at the electron level.” For a size comparison, this modeling is working at 500nm sizes, whereas the electrons in a lattice is at the level of Angstroms. The precise and coordinated dance of the atoms in a triangular lattice is enabled by multiple triplets of laser light frequencies controlled by the Spectrum AWG M4i.6622-x8 using its multi-channel outputs.

Dr. Barreiro concluded: “Not only was the Spectrum AWG unbeatable on the quality of its output but it was also unbeatable on price. We looked at rival card solutions and they came nowhere near on the precision and ultra-low noise that we needed. Then we looked at self-contained box solutions from the big manufacturers and they might have the performance that we were looking for but at a huge premium because they are selling a complete package of box, power supply, controls, and a screen. The Spectrum card was a third of that price and just needed a PC to house it in which, worst case, is only a few hundred dollars. We have a solution from Spectrum that precisely meets our needs in terms of performance and is very easy to program on the host PC with Spectrum’s software to do exactly what we want it to do.”

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