Abstract: Beamformers are formed (e.g., carved) from a stack of transparent sheets. A rear face of each sheet has a reflective coating. The reflectivities of the coatings vary monotonically with sheet position within the stack. The sheets are tilted relative to the intended direction of an input beam and then bonded to form the stack. The carving can include dicing the stack to yield stacklets, and polishing the stacklets to form beamformers. Each beamformer is thus a stack of beamsplitters, including a front beamsplitter in the form of a triangular or trapezoidal prism, and one or more beamsplitters in the form of rhomboid prisms. In use, a beamformer forms an output beam from an input beam. More specifically, the beamformer splits an input beam into plural output beam components that collectively constitute an output beam that differs in cross section from the input beam.

Abstract: A pair of acousto-optic deflectors (AODs) is used to steer a pair of laser beams to address individual atoms of an array of atoms so that the beams can conditionally induce a 2-photon transition between the atom's quantum energy levels. The first beam is deflected into a +1 diffraction order, resulting in an AOD output beam with a frequency greater than that of the respective AOD input beam. The second beam is deflected into a ?1 diffraction order so that the AOD output beam has a frequency less than that of the respective AOD input beam. The equal and opposite frequency changes compensate it other so that the sum of the output frequencies remains constant.

Abstract: A pair of acousto-optic deflectors (AODs) is used to steer a pair of laser beams to address individual atoms of an array of atoms so that the beams can conditionally induce a 2-photon transition between the atom's quantum energy levels. The first beam is deflected into a +1 diffraction order, resulting in an AOD output beam with a frequency greater than that of the respective AOD input beam. The second beam is deflected into a ?1 diffraction order so that the AOD output beam has a frequency less than that of the respective AOD input beam. The equal and opposite frequency changes compensate it other so that the sum of the output frequencies remains resonant with the transition of interest. Thus, AODs can be used to steer laser beams to address individual atoms of an atom array.

Abstract: A 3D microwave sensor includes a cloud of particles, e.g., rubidium 87 atoms. A laser system produces: a first probe beam directed through the particle cloud along a first path; a second probe beam directed through the particle cloud along a second path that intersects the first path to define a Rydberg intersection; a first coupling beam that counterpropagates with respect to the first probe beam along the first path; and a second coupling beam that counterpropagates with respect to the second probe beam along the second path. A spectrum analyzer characterizes the microwave field strength at the Rydberg intersection. The laser beams can be steered to move the Rydberg intersection within the particle cloud to compile a microwave field strength distribution in the particle cloud.

Abstract: A matter-wave gyro with counter-propagating traps uses three-dimensional lattices formed of interference fringes from three pairs of interfering laser beams. Particles, such as neutral atoms, ion, or molecules are cooled to a ground state near absolute zero. The resulting ultra-cold particles are loaded into the lattices. The laser beams used to form the lattices are driven according to functions that cause the lattices to counter-propagate about a closed path (Sagnac loop) N times, where a desired tradeoff between spatial resolution and temporal resolution can be achieved by choosing an appropriate integer value of N. The lattices can be extinguished so that the particles can be imaged to identify an interference pattern. A shift in the interference pattern relative to an interference pattern that would occur with zero angular momentum can be used to measure angular momentum.

Abstract: A matter-wave gyro with counter-propagating traps uses three-dimensional lattices formed of interference fringes from three pairs of interfering laser beams. Particles, such as neutral atoms, ion, or molecules are cooled to a ground state near absolute zero. The resulting ultra-cold particles are loaded into the lattices. The laser beams used to form the lattices are driven according to functions that cause the lattices to counter-propagate about a closed path (Sagnac loop) N times, where a desired tradeoff between spatial resolution and temporal resolution can be achieved by choosing an appropriate integer value of N. The lattices can be extinguished so that the particles can be imaged to identify an interference pattern. A shift in the interference pattern relative to an interference pattern that would occur with zero angular momentum can be used to measure angular momentum.

Abstract: A cold-quanta station and a cloud-based server cooperate to provide cold quanta as a service (CQaaS). The cold-quanta station serves as a system for implementing “recipes” for producing, manipulating, and/or using cold (<1 mK) monatomic or polyatomic molecules, e.g., cold Rubidium 87 atoms. The cloud-based server acts as an interface between the station (or stations) and authorized users of account holders. To this end the server hosts an account manager and a session manager. The account manager manages accounts and associated account-based and user-specific permissions that define what actions any given authorized user for an account may perform with respect to a quantum-mechanics station. The session manager controls (in some cases real-time) interactions between a user and a quantum-mechanics station, some interactions allowing a user to select a recipe based on results returned earlier in the same session.

Abstract: A monolithic break-seal includes a membrane that separates an outer ring from an inner ring. The inner ring is bonded to a vacuum cell and the outer ring is bonded to a vacuum interface. To protect against unintentional breakage of the membrane, a surface of the outer ring not bonded to the vacuum interface contacts the vacuum cell. An external vacuum system evacuates the vacuum cell through an aperture of the break-seal. Once a target vacuum level is reached for the vacuum cell, a cap is bonded to the inner ring, blocking the aperture and hermetically sealing the vacuum cell. The membrane is broken so that the hermetically sealed vacuum cell can be separated from the vacuum interface to which the outer ring remains bonded.

Abstract: A sputter-ion-pump system includes a sputter ion pump and an electronic drive. The electronic drive supplies a voltage across the ion pump to establish, in cooperation with a magnetic field, a Penning trap within the ion pump. A current sensor measures the Penning-trap current across the Penning trap. The Penning trap is used as an indication of pressure within the ion pump or a vacuum chamber including or in fluid communication with the ion pump. The pressure information can be used to determine flow rates, e.g., due to a load, outgassing, and/or leakage from an ambient.

Abstract: Atom-scale particles, e.g., neutral and charged atoms and molecules, are pre-cooled, e.g., using magneto-optical traps (MOTs), to below 100 ?K to yield cold particles. The cold particles are transported to a sensor cell which cools the cold particles to below 1 ?K using an optical trap; these particles are stored in a reservoir within an optical trap within the sensor cell so that they are readily available to replenish a sensor population of particles in quantum superposition. A baffle is disposed between the MOTs and the sensor cell to prevent near-resonant light leaking from the MOTs from entering the sensor cell (and exciting the ultra-cold particles in the reservoir). The transporting from the MOTs to the sensor cell is effected by moving optical fringes of optical lattices and guiding the cold particles attached to the fringes along a meandering path through the baffle and into the sensor cell.

Abstract: Systems and methods for the optical control of qubits and other quantum particles with spatial light modulators (SLM) for quantum computing and quantum simulation are disclosed herein. The system may include a particle system configured to provide an ordered array comprising a multiplicity of quantum particles or a multiplicity of qubits, an optical source, a SLM configured to project a structured illumination pattern capable of individually addressing one or more quantum particles or qubits of the ordered array, and a SLM controller.

Abstract: A qubit array reparation system includes a reservoir of ultra-cold particle, a detector that determines whether or not qubit sites of a qubit array include respective qubit particles, and a transport system for transporting an ultra-cold particle to a first qubit array site that has been determined by the probe system to not include a qubit particle so that the ultra-cold particle can serve as a qubit particle for the first qubit array site. A qubit array reparation process includes maintaining a reservoir of ultra-cold particles, determining whether or not qubit-array sites contain respective qubit particles, each qubit particle having a respective superposition state, and, in response to a determination that a first qubit site does not contain a respective qubit particle, transporting an ultracold particle to the first qubit site to serve as a qubit particle contained by the first qubit site.

Abstract: The present invention provides an matter-wave transistor in which the flow of particles (e.g., atoms and molecules) through the transistor is a result of resonant tunneling from a source well, through a gate well and into a drain well (as opposed to being a result of collisions, as in a classical atomtronic transistor). The transistor current of matter-wave particles can be controlled as a function of the breadth of resonant tunneling conditions of the gate well. For example, the resonant tunneling conditions of a gate well that does not include a dipole-oscillating Bose-Einstein condensate (DOBEC) can be broadened by including a DOBEC in the gate well. Similarly, the breadth of resonant tunneling conditions of the gate well can be changed by changing the particle population of a DOBEC in the gate well.

Abstract: A microwave sensor includes a cloud of particles, e.g., Rubidium 87 atoms. A probe laser beam transitions ground-state particles in its path to an excited state. A set of one or more coupling laser beams causes excited particles to transition to a first Rydberg state so that particles in the intersection of the laser beams are in a dark superposition which is transparent to the probe laser beam so that a frequency spectrum of the probe laser beam shows a transmission peak at the laser frequency. A microwave lens focuses a microwave vector (e.g., a microwave signal) within the intersection, causing particles in the first Rydberg state to transition to a second Rydberg state, splitting the transmission peak into a pair of peaks. The intensity of the microwave vector can be calculated based on the frequency difference between the pair of peaks. The direction of the microwave vector can be determined from the location of the laser-beam intersection.

Abstract: A cold-atom cell is formed by machining a block of silicon to define sites for an atom source chamber, an atom manipulation chamber, and an ion-pump chamber. A polished silicon panel is frit-bonded to an unpolished (due to machining) chamber wall (which would be difficult and costly to polish). The polished panel can then serve as a reflector or a sight for anodic bonding. A solid-phase atom source provides for vapor phase atoms in the source chamber. The source chamber also includes carbon and gold to regulate the atom pressure by sorbing and desorbing thermal atoms. The atom manipulation chamber includes components for magneto-optical trap and an atom chip, e.g., for forming a Bose-Einstein condensate. The ion-pump chamber serves as the site for an ion pump. By integrating the ion pump into the body of the cold-atom cell, a more compact, reliable, and robust cold-atom cell is achieved.

Abstract: Atom-scale particles, e.g., neutral and charged atoms and molecules, are pre-cooled, e.g., using magneto-optical traps (MOTs), to below 100 ?K to yield cold particles. The cold particles are transported to an atom-chip cell which cools the cold particles to below 1 ?K; these particles are stored in a reservoir within the atom-chip cell so that they are readily available to replenish a sensor population of particles in quantum superposition. A baffle is disposed between the MOTs and the atom-chip cell to prevent near-resonant light leaking from the MOTs from entering the atom-chip cell (and exciting the ultra-cold particles in the reservoir). The transporting from the MOTs to the atom-chip cell is effected by moving optical fringes of optical lattices and guiding the cold particles attached to the fringes along a meandering path through the baffle and into the atom-chip cell.

Abstract: Reversible (relatively weak) anodic bonds permit glass and silicon components to be separated without damaging the components so that they can be reused. To this end, chamfered glass with high aluminum content can be used during the original anodic bonding. Anodic bonding is terminated after complete intimate contact is achieved and while the bond is reversible. The high aluminum content impedes further bond strengthening so that the bond does not become non-reversible via contact bonding. The chamfer provides access near the glass-silicon interface for prying the glass off the silicon to effect debonding without damaging the glass or the silicon. Accordingly, the glass, the silicon, or both may be rebounded (rather than being wastefully disposed).

Abstract: A sputter-ion-pump system includes a sputter ion pump and an electronic drive. The electronic drive supplies a voltage across the ion pump to establish, in cooperation with a magnetic field, a Penning trap within the ion pump. A current sensor measures the Penning-trap current across the Penning trap. The Penning trap is used as an indication of pressure within the ion pump or a vacuum chamber including or in fluid communication with the ion pump. The pressure information can be used to determine flow rates, e.g., due to a load, outgassing, and/or leakage from an ambient.

Abstract: A micro-machined optical shutter includes an entry layer with a through-passage having an input side adapted to receive incoming light and an output side, and an exit layer with a through-passage having an input side comprising a pinhole and an output side. The entry and exit layers are vertically aligned, thereby providing an optical path such that light exiting the entry layer enters the exit layer via the pinhole unless the optical path is interrupted. An actuation plane positioned between the entry and exit layers comprises a shutter blade and an actuator arranged to move the shutter blade laterally with respect to the pinhole when actuated. The shutter blade preferably has a reflective angled surface such that, when the blade covers the pinhole, the angled surface redirects light on the optical path away from the pinhole, preferably into a micromachined beam dump.

Abstract: Reversible (relatively weak) anodic bonds permit glass and silicon components to be separated without damaging the components so that they can be reused. To this end, chamfered glass with high aluminum content can be used during the original anodic bonding. Anodic bonding is terminated after complete intimate contact is achieved and while the bond is reversible. The high aluminum content impedes further bond strengthening so that the bond does not become non-reversible via contact bonding. The chamfer provides access near the glass-silicon interface for prying the glass off the silicon to effect debonding without damaging the glass or the silicon. Accordingly, the glass, the silicon, or both may be rebounded (rather than being wastefully disposed).