Hyper-entanglement achieved in jiggling atoms with mass for the first time ever

Atoms are constantly on the move, sometimes in ways that seem impossible to fully tame. Many researchers have tried to calm this jiggling behavior in atoms, but it has remained a challenge.

A recent study has produced unexpected results. After years of refining methods, the research team has managed to make atomic motion an advantage rather than a nuisance.

Manuel Endres, professor of physics at Caltech, is a co-author of the study. His team explores the delicate control of optical tweezers, which are devices made of laser light that pick up and move single atoms at will.

Controlling motion of jiggling atoms

Quantum machines depend on subtle interactions between quantum systems and their environments. These fragile interactions can be disturbed by thermal motion, which introduces randomness.

Even tiny vibrations on the scale of billionths of an inch can throw delicate calculations off track.

Previous methods tried to freeze atoms in place. That approach worked to a degree, but background jitters still caused trouble.

At times, laser-based cooling methods improved stability, yet the underlying motion never fully vanished.

Experiments recently showed that ordinary jiggling can encode data instead of ruining it.

“We show that atomic motion, which is typically treated as a source of unwanted noise in quantum systems, can be turned into a strength,” said Adam Shaw, a co-lead author of the study.

Some consider this a big step for quantum computing, since storing data in motion may free up additional ways to process information.

The idea of using vibrations is not entirely new, but applying it to neutral atoms inside optical tweezers opens new possibilities.

Understanding optical tweezers – the basics

Optical tweezers are an incredible tool that use focused laser beams to trap and manipulate tiny objects, down to the atomic level.

By precisely adjusting the light’s intensity and position, scientists can move these microscopic particles without physically touching them. It’s like using a pair of invisible, light-powered fingers to hold something steady or guide it along a path.

This technique opened up entirely new ways to study the behavior and mechanics of biological systems in real time.

What makes optical tweezers so fascinating is their versatility. Researchers use them to stretch DNA strands, measure the forces between molecules, and watch how proteins fold or unfold under stress.

Atoms, energy, and shifting motion

The concept of erasure cooling transforms certain errors into removable pieces of information.

Researchers measure an atom’s motion and quickly shift its state to reduce unwanted energy. This resembles James Clerk Maxwell’s demon, a famous 19th-century thought experiment about selectively removing high-energy particles.

Test runs suggest it surpasses many established cooling techniques. Atoms slow down to a near standstill. From there, any chosen atom can be nudged into distinct motion states, adding a new layer of control.

Basic entanglement aligns one property of two distant particles. Hyper-entanglement aligns two or more properties at once. Until now, this effect had primarily been demonstrated with photons, which have no rest mass.

The team managed to generate hyper-entangled states in neutral atoms, marking what they describe as the first instance of this phenomenon in particles with mass. These atoms show a linked state of motion and internal energy levels.

If one atom moves in a particular way, the other mirrors that pattern. At the same time, their electronic states also match up. This allows more information to be packed into fewer atoms.

Why does any of this matter?

Researchers hope that precise control of atomic motion leads to more efficient computations and expanded quantum simulation work.

Some see it broadening the path to more stable atomic clocks as well, which might one day redefine standards of time measurement.

By toggling between stationary and oscillatory states, these systems may perform tasks not feasible with older approaches. They also could handle corrections for data losses on the fly.

Many groups worldwide are exploring related ideas, continuing the legacy of controlling single atoms for computing tasks. 

Isolating strontium atoms

Endres and his team used strontium atoms, which have favorable properties for quantum experiments due to their long-lived electronic states.

The atoms were isolated and manipulated with an impressive level of precision that allowed both motion and energy levels to be tuned and read with confidence.

The method relied on setting each atom into a superposition of two vibrational states.

This means the atoms were not simply wobbling back and forth – they were in both motions at once, a feat that only occurs in the quantum world. This enabled them to build highly entangled states from the ground up.

Future uses of controlled atomic motion

Atoms in optical tweezers already serve as a key platform for quantum studies.

Taming motion at a level of around 100 nanometers (about 0.000004 inches) is a vital step. It shows how something as tiny and unpredictable as random shaking can become an asset.

Progress in this area may bring new methods of error correction. It could also unify electronic and vibrational states for bigger computational gains.

Many watch this field closely for how it could blend physics, engineering, and computer science into new technologies.

The study is published in the journal Science.

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