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US 11,531,249 B1Granted
Constant-frequency acousto-optic beam steering
AssigneeColdQuanta, Inc.
InventorMark Saffman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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.
Claims18
A beam-steering acousto-optic deflector (AOD) process comprising:
- deflecting, using an AOD set of one or AODs, plural EMR beams so that they are incident a first quantum state carrier (QSC) occupying a first site of an array of QSCs, the deflector set being driven by a respective drive set of one or more drive signals, each of the drive signals having a respective first drive frequency, each of the plural EMR beams having a respective input frequency as it is input to the deflector set and an output frequency as it is output from the deflector set, the plural EMR beams being collectively characterized by a first mix frequency that is resonant with a first transition of the first QSC, the plural EMR beams including,
- a first EMR beam with a first input frequency and a first output frequency, the output frequency being greater than the input frequency, and
- a second EMR beam with a second input frequency and a second output frequency, the second output frequency being less than the second input frequency;
- changing the drive frequencies so that the deflector set is driven by a drive set of one or more drive signals having respective second drive frequencies so that the EMR Beams are redirected so that they are incident a second QSC occupying a second site of the array of QSCs and so that the EMR beams are collectively characterized by a second mix frequency, the second mix frequency that is resonant with the first transition of the first QSC,
- the first EMR beam with a first input frequency and a third output frequency, the third output frequency being different from the first output frequency, and
- a second EMR beam with a second input frequency and a fourth output frequency, the fourth output frequency being different from the second output frequency.
3 more elements
A beam-steering acousto-optic deflector (AOD) system comprising:
- a laser system for producing plural concurrent laser beams with respective input frequencies, the laser beams including a first laser beam with a first input frequency and a second laser beam with a second input frequency;
- a drive signal generator for generating a drive set of one or more drive signals having respective drive frequencies;
- an AOD set of one or more AODs, each AOD of the AOD set being coupled to the drive signal generator for receiving a respective drive signal therefrom, each AOD of the AOD set being optically coupled to the laser system for receiving a respective laser beam therefrom, each AOD of the AOD set converting a received laser beam to an AOD output beam having a respective output frequency and a respective diffraction order, the AOD set being coupled to an array of quantum state carriers (QSCs) for providing plural AOD output beams to a QSC selected from the QSCs of a QSC array based on the frequencies of the drive set such that the provided AOD output beams results in a mix frequency that is resonant with a quantum-state transition of the selected QSC regardless of which QSC is selected, the AOD set converting the first laser beam to a first AOD output beam a first AOD output frequency greater than the first input frequency, the AOD set converting the second laser beam to a second AOD output beam having a second AOD output frequency less than the second input frequency.
A beam-steering acousto-optic deflector (AOD) process comprising:
- a) specifying an array location of quantum-state carrier (QSC) located in an array of QDCs, the QSCs being characterized by a target QSC transition;
- b) determining acoustic frequencies for respective AODs based on the specified array location;
- c) applying the determined acoustic frequencies to the respective AODs so that acoustic waves propagate through the respective AODs;
- d) transmitting AOD input beams so that they are incident respective AODs at Bragg angles;
- and
- e) deflecting, using respective AODs, AOD input beams to yield AOD output beams that illuminate the OSC at the specified location with a mix that is resonant with the target QSC transition.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.