Quantum gas magnifier for sub-lattice-resolved imaging of three-dimensional quantum systems

21 April 2021

Photo: Adapted from Asteria et al., Nature 599, 571 (2021)

Imaging is central for gaining microscopic insight into physical systems, but direct imaging of ultracold atoms in optical lattices as modern quantum simulation platform suffers from the diffraction limit as well as high optical density and small depth of focus. We introduce a novel approach to imaging of quantum many-body systems using matter wave optics to magnify the density distribution prior to optical imaging, allowing sub-lattice spacing resolution in three-dimensional systems. Combining the site-resolved imaging with magnetic resonance techniques for local addressing of individual lattice sites, we demonstrate full accessibility to local information and local manipulation in three-dimensional optical lattice systems. The method opens the path for spatially resolved studies of new quantum many-body regimes including exotic lattice geometries.

Original publication: L. Asteria et al., Nature 599, 571-575 (2021)
CUI press release: New microscopy technique for quantum simulation
Research Update at PhysicsWorld: New technique puts 3D quantum gases under the microscope