The above photo features an ultra cold cloud (~100uK) of 109 neutral 85Rb atoms suspended in ultra high vacuum via a magneto-optical trap. This sample of atoms is used for storage of quantum information.
Vacuum cell for trapping Rydberg atoms.
The above image displays the fluorescence of laser-cooled neutral rubidium-85 atoms collected by a back lit CCD array. These ultra cold atoms are collectively used to store quantum information.
Lin is aligning optics for generating entanglement between Rydberg spinwaves and light.
The above image displays the fluorescence of laser-cooled neutral rubidium-85 atoms confined in an optical force dipole trap. These ultra cold atoms are used as a quantum information storage medium with an extended memory lifetime.
The above image displays a prolate ellipsoidal Wigner crystal of triply charged thorium ions confined in a linear rf trap. These ions are laser-cooled and stored for a large fraction of an hour. The inter-ion spacing is ~100 microns.
The above image displays the fluorescence of laser-cooled thorium-232 ions confined in a linear Paul trap. These ultra-cold ions form a crystalline structure due to the balance of trapping forces and Coulomb repulsion. There are approximately 1700 ions in the large crystal and 14 ions in the linear chain. The average ion separation is ~100 microns.
The above image displays various linear crystalized chains of triply charged
thorium ions confined in a linear rf trap. These ions are laser-cooled and stored
for a large fraction of an hour. The inter-ion spacing is 30 – 100 microns.
The above photo features a modified linear Paul trap which is used for trapping and laser cooling trace amounts of triply charged thorium-229 ions.
In the Kuzmich research labs at the Department of Physics of the University of Michigan, we investigate topics in atomic physics, quantum optics, and quantum information. The research utilizes ultracold atoms and trapped ions suspended in ultrahigh vacuum using laser cooling and electromagnetic fields. Subjects of current interest are the collective Rydberg blockade and its applications to quantum many-body physics, scalable quantum networks based on long-lived quantum memories, single atom qubits realized by using optical tweezers, and laser spectroscopy of the thorium nuclear isomer and its applications in precision frequency metrology and tests of fundamental physics.
