Single-site-resolved detection and manipulation of atoms in an optical lattice
Prof. Dr. Stefan Kuhr (Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow)

Ultracold atoms in optical lattices are a versatile tool to investigate fundamental properties of quantum many body systems. We demonstrate how the control of such systems can be extended down to the most fundamental level of single atomic spins at specific lattice sites. Using a high-resolution optical imaging system, we were able to obtain fluorescence images of strongly interacting bosonic Mott insulators with single-atom and single-site resolution [1] and addressed the atomic spins with sub-diffraction-limited resolution [2]. In addition, we directly monitored the tunneling quantum dynamics of single atoms in the lattice. Most recent experiments involve coherent light scattering from the atoms [3] and the observation of pair correlations and hidden string order. Our results open the path to a wide range of novel applications from quantum dynamics of spin impurities, entropy transport, implementation of novel cooling schemes, and engineering of quantum many-body phases to quantum information processing.
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[1] J. F. Sherson, C. Weitenberg, M. Endres, M. Cheneau, I. Bloch, S. Kuhr, Single-atom-resolved fluorescence imaging of an atomic Mott insulator, Nature 467, 68 (2010).
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[2] C. Weitenberg, M. Endres, J. F. Sherson, M. Cheneau, P. Schauß, T. Fukuhara, I.Bloch, S. Kuhr, Single-spin addressing in an atomic Mott insulator, Nature 471, 319 (2011).
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[3] C. Weitenberg, P. Schauß, T. Fukuhara, M. Cheneau, M. Endres, I. Bloch, S. Kuhr, Coherent light scattering from a two-dimensional Mott insulator, Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 215301 (2011).