https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2015-50329-4
Review
Optical techniques for Rydberg physics in lattice geometries
A technical guide
1 Van der Waals – Zeeman Institute, Institute of Physics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2 Institute of Quantum Electronics, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
3 LaserLaB, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1081, 1081HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
a e-mail: j.b.naber@uva.nl
Received: 21 December 2015
Revised: 16 July 2016
Published online: 19 December 2016
We address the technical challenges when performing quantum information experiments with ultracold Rydberg atoms in lattice geometries. We discuss the following key aspects: (i) the coherent manipulation of atomic ground states, (ii) the coherent excitation of Rydberg states, and (iii) spatial addressing of individual lattice sites. We briefly review methods and solutions which have been successfully implemented, and give examples based on our experimental apparatus. This includes an optical phase-locked loop, an intensity and frequency stabilization setup for lasers, and a nematic liquid-crystal spatial light modulator.
© The Author(s) 2016
Open Access This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
