Progress toward a dual-species Ytterbium quantum processor: From narrow-line cooling to bichromatic triple-magic trapping

Ytterbium (Yb) has emerged as a premier platform for quantum information science, offering a unique combination of narrow intercombination transitions (¹S₀–³P₁, ¹S₀–³P₀), long-lived nuclear spin coherence, and low magnetic field sensitivity. Its diverse isotopic landscape allows both bosonic and fermionic qubit encodings, enabling applications in quantum simulation and precision metrology. We report experimental progress toward a ¹⁷¹Yb quantum computing platform. For robust cooling and trapping, the 399 nm laser is frequency-stabilized via modulation transfer spectroscopy (MTS) using a Yb hollow cathode lamp, while the 556 nm narrow-line cooling transition is referenced to a molecular iodine frequency standard.

We have achieved a 3D-MOT using the 399 nm blue transition and are implementing transfer to a second-stage narrow-line 3D-MOT (555.6 nm) within a glass-cell setup. This system is designed to load a 2D optical tweezer array using a high-numerical-aperture objective. Our compact vacuum system captures up to 10⁶ atoms with peak densities of ~10¹¹ cm⁻³. We also present a theoretical framework for high-fidelity two-qubit gates via a near-triple-magic trapping condition. Using a bichromatic optical tweezer configuration, we show that differential AC Stark shifts between ground, metastable (³P₀, ³P₂), and Rydberg states can be simultaneously suppressed. We outline prospects for integrating this magic-trapping landscape with high-power UV Rydberg spectroscopy to reach the fault-tolerant gate regime.