SINGLEATOMS · Quantum engineering of ultracold atoms in optical lattices

Ultracold atoms in optical lattices hold the potential as ideal testbeds for many condensed matter models such as those related to high-Tc superconductivity. Due to their high degree of purity and regularity, they are also a candidate for a scalable quantum computation architecture. Until now, however, it has not been possible to address individual sites of optical lattices with a sufficiently tight spacing to allow for a substantial nearest neighbour coupling through tunnelling. Our experimental setup implements this feature using a specially designed lens system with a resolution smaller than the lattice spacing. With this, it will be possible to observe and manipulate density, spin structure, and correlations at the scale of a lattice site. Using this new tool, we propose to investigate steady-state and dynamical properties of low-dimensional systems, which were out of reach of all previous experiments. We also plan to engineer fast, high-fidelity, quantum gates and to build massively entangled systems as a resource for quantum computation.