title: Optical readout of the quantum collective motion of an array of atomic ensembles.
abstract: We create an ultracold-atom-based cavity optomechanical system in which the center-of-mass modes of motion of as many as six distinguishable atomic ensembles are prepared and optically detected near their ground states. We demonstrate that the collective motional state of one atomic ensemble can be selectively addressed while preserving neighboring ensembles near their ground states to better than 95% per excitation quantum. We also show that our system offers nanometer-scale spatial resolution of each atomic ensemble via optomechanical imaging. This technique enables the in situ parallel sensing of potential landscapes, a capability relevant to active research areas of atomic physics and force-field detection in optomechanics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Botter
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel W C
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Sydney
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schreppler
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brahms
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA and Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Dan M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Stamper-Kurn