Expérimental
The current ultimate goal of the group is the realization of a novel quantum simulator platform based on a chain of circular Rydberg atoms and its benchmarking by the exploration of the phase diagram of a 1D spin chain, proposed in Phys.Rev.X 8, 011032 (2018). Despite long intrinsic lifetime of these atoms (several tens of milliseconds), the lifetime of a chain of N atoms scales as 1/N, significantly limiting the possible use of these arrays for long and sophisticated quantum simulations. We aim to protect atoms from spontaneous emission, limiting their lifetimes, by placing them inside a specially designed electrode structure where the spontaneous emission is strongly inhibited by properly shaping vacuum modes. The current experimental setup is under construction. The goal of the internship is to realize and characterize the trapping and protection of single atoms inside this structure. The internship may be continued into a PhD in Toulouse, where the experimental setup will be moved in July 2023.