Ultracold mechanical resonators coupled to atoms in an optical lattice

Abstract

We propose an experiment utilizing an array of cooled micro-cantilevers coupled to a sample of ultra-cold atoms trapped near a micro-fabricated surface. The cantilevers allow individual lattice site addressing for atomic state control and readout, and potentially may be useful in optical lattice quantum computation schemes. Assuming resonators can be cooled to their vibrational ground state, the implementation of a two-qubit controlled-NOT gate with atomic internal states and the motional states of the resonator is described. We also consider a protocol for entangling two or more cantilevers on the atom chip with different resonance frequencies, using the trapped atoms as an intermediary. Although similar experiments could be carried out with magnetic microchip traps, the optical confinement scheme we consider may exhibit reduced near-field magnetic noise and decoherence. Prospects for using this novel system for tests of quantum mechanics at macroscopic scales or quantum information processing are discussed.