Speaker
Description
In this work, we demonstrate the quantum control and precision spectroscopy of a clock transition in a single molecular nitrogen ion. We report the first observation of Rabi oscillations and spectra on a mid-infrared electric-quadrupole rovibrational transition in a molecular ion, thus establishing a robust platform for the coherent manipulation of high-fidelity molecular qubits and clock transitions.
Our experimental architecture utilizes a single calcium atomic ion co-trapped with the molecule in a linear Paul trap. State detection is achieved via a quantum-logic-inspired scheme based on optical lattice-induced coherent motional excitation, enabling high-fidelity, non-destructive identification of the molecular state [1]. Due to the extremely narrow linewidth of the transitions, we employ wide-range rapid adiabatic passage (RAP) scans for initial signal identification, followed by iterative RAP-based frequency narrowing to enable high-resolution Rabi spectroscopy [2].
The spectroscopic measurements are referenced to the Swiss primary frequency standard at the Swiss National Institute of Metrology (METAS) via a stabilized optical-fiber link enabling SI-traceability of measured frequencies [3]. Our results demonstrate a clear pathway toward the realization of molecular clocks, the study of state-resolved reaction dynamics, tests of fundamental physics, and the development of molecular qubits for quantum information processing.
[1] Sinhal, M., Meir, Z., Najafian, K., Hegi, G., & Willitsch, S. (2020). Quantum-nondemolition state detection and spectroscopy of single trapped molecules. Science, 367(6483), 1213-1218.
[2] Shlykov, A., Diouf, M. L., Karl, R., Roguski, M., Joshi, U. C., & Willitsch, S. (2026). Quantum-logic spectroscopy of forbidden vibrational transitions in single nitrogen molecular ions. arXiv preprint arXiv:2603.10553.
[3] Husmann, D., Bernier, L. G., Bertrand, M., Calonico, D., Chaloulos, K., Clausen, G., ... & Morel, J. (2021). SI-traceable frequency dissemination at 1572.06 nm in a stabilized fiber network with ring topology. Optics express, 29(16), 24592-24605.
| Academic level | Postdoctoral researcher |
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