We perform high-resolution real-time read-out of the motion of a single trapped and laser-cooled Ba ion. By using an interferometric setup we demonstrate shot-noise limited measurement of thermal oscillations with resolution of 4 times the standard quantum limit. We apply the real-time monitoring for phase control of the ion motion through a feedback loop, suppressing the photon recoil-induced phase diffusion. Due to the spectral narrowing in phase-locked mode, the coherent ion oscillation is measured with resolution of about 0.3 times the standard quantum limit.
It is expected that ion trap quantum computing can be made scalable through protocols that make use of transport of ion qubits between sub-regions within the ion trap. In this scenario, any magnetic field inhomogeneity the ion experiences during the transport, may lead to dephasing and loss of fidelity. Here we demonstrate how to measure, and compensate for, magnetic field gradients inside a segmented ion trap, by transporting a single ion over variable distances. We attain a relative magnetic field sensitivity of Delta B/B_0 ~ 5*10^{-7} over a test distance of 140 micro m, which can be extended to the mm range, still with sub micro m resolution. A fast experimental sequence is presented, facilitating its use as a magnetic field gradient calibration routine, and it is demonstrated that the main limitation is the quantum shot noise.
A method for the experimental reconstruction of the quantum state of motion for a single trapped ion is proposed. It is based on the measurement of the ground state population of the trap after a sudden change of the trapping potential. In particular, we show how the Q function and the quadrature distribution can be measured directly. In an example we demonstrate the principle and analyze the sensibility of the reconstruction process to experimental uncertainties as well as to finite grid limitations. Our method is not restricted to the Lamb-Dicke Limit and works in one or more dimensions.
The interplay of noise and quantum coherence in transport gives rise to rich dynamics relevant for a variety of systems. In this work, we put forward a proposal for an experiment testing noise-induced transport in the vibrational modes of a chain of trapped ions. We focus on the case of transverse modes, considering multiple-isotope chains and an angle trap, where the transverse trapping varies along the chain. This variation induces localization of the motional modes and therefore suppresses transport. By suitably choosing the action of laser fields that couple to the internal and external degrees of freedom of the ions, we show how to implement effective local dephasing on the modes, broadening the vibrational resonances. This leads to an overlap of the local mode frequencies, giving rise to a pronounced increase in the transport of excitations along the chain. We propose an implementation and measurement scheme which require neither ground-state cooling nor low heating rates, and we illustrate our results with a simulation of the dynamics for a chain of three ions.
We report a demonstration and quantitative characterization of one-dimensional cavity cooling of a single trapped 88Sr+ ion in the resolved sideband regime. We measure the spectrum of cavity transitions, the rates of cavity heating and cooling, and the steady-state cooling limit. The cavity cooling dynamics and cooling limit of 22.5(3) motional quanta, limited by the moderate coupling between the ion and the cavity, are consistent with a simple model [Phys. Rev. A 64, 033405] without any free parameters, validating the rate equation model for cavity cooling.
Quantum phase transitions (QPTs) are usually associated with many-body systems with large degrees of freedom approaching the thermodynamic limit. In such systems, the many-body ground state shows abrupt changes at zero temperature when the control parameter of the Hamiltonian is scanned across a quantum critical point. Recently it has been realized that a QPT can also occur in a simple system composed of only a two-level atom and a single-mode bosonic field, described by the quantum Rabi model (QRM). Here we report the first experimental demonstration of a QPT in the QRM using a single trapped ion. We measure the average spin-up state population of the ion and the average phonon number in its spatial oscillation mode as two order parameters and observe the clear evidences of the phase transition via slow quench of the coupling between the ion and its spatial motion. An experimental probe of the phase transitions in a fundamental quantum optics model without imposing the thermodynamic limit opens up a new window for the controlled study of QPTs and quantum critical phenomena.