We propose and demonstrate a new magneto-optical trap (MOT) for alkaline-earth-metal-like (AEML) atoms where the narrow $^{1}S_{0}rightarrow$$^{3}P_{1}$ transition and the broad $^{1}S_{0}rightarrow$$^{1}P_{1}$ transition are spatially arranged into
a core-shell configuration. Our scheme resolves the main limitations of previously adopted MOT schemes, leading to a significant increase in both the loading rate and the steady state atom number. We apply this scheme to $^{174}$Yb MOT, where we show about a hundred-fold improvement in the loading rate and ten-fold improvement in the steady state atom number compared to reported cases that we know of to date. This technique could be readily extended to other AEML atoms to increase the statistical sensitivity of many different types of precision experiments.
Ultracold atoms in optical lattices are an important platform for quantum information science, lending itself naturally to quantum simulation of many-body physics and providing a possible path towards a scalable quantum computer. To realize its full
potential, atoms at individual lattice sites must be accessible to quantum control and measurement. This challenge has so far been met with a combination of high-resolution microscopes and resonance addressing that have enabled both site-resolved imaging and spin-flips. Here we show that methods borrowed from the field of inhomogeneous control can greatly increase the performance of resonance addressing in optical lattices, allowing us to target arbitrary single-qubit gates on desired sites, with minimal crosstalk to neighboring sites and greatly improved robustness against uncertainty in the lattice position. We further demonstrate the simultaneous implementation of different gates at adjacent sites with a single global control waveform. Coherence is verified through two-pulse Ramsey interrogation, and randomized benchmarking is used to measure an average gate fidelity of ~95%. Our control-based approach to reduce crosstalk and increase robustness is broadly applicable in optical lattices irrespective of geometry, and may be useful also on other platforms for quantum information processing, such as ion traps and nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond.
