Coherent Transfer of Transverse Optical Momentum to the Motion of a Single Trapped Ion.

Using a structured light beam carrying orbital angular momentum, we demonstrate excitation of the center-of-mass motion of a single atom in the transverse direction to the beam's propagation. This interaction enables quantum control of atomic motion in all axes with a single beam direction, which leads to applications in quantum computing and simulations with ion crystals. Here we demonstrate all the key features required for these applications, namely, coherent dynamics and strong carrier suppression in a configuration with the ion centered in the beam, which allows for single ion addressing and also provides robustness against pointing instabilities.

Deterministic Single-Ion Implantation of Rare-Earth Ions for Nanometer-Resolution Color-Center Generation.

Single dopant atoms or dopant-related defect centers in a solid state matrix are of particular importance among the physical systems proposed for quantum computing and communication, due to their potential to realize a scalable architecture compatible with electronic and photonic integrated circuits. Here, using a deterministic source of single laser-cooled Pr^{+} ions, we present the fabrication of arrays of praseodymium color centers in yttrium-aluminum-garnet substrates. The beam of single Pr^{+} ions is extracted from a Paul trap and focused down to 30(9) nm.