Progress towards collective atomic mirrors utilizing Yb atom arrays

We utilize the long-wavelength transitions in Yb atoms trapped in optical tweezers to study collective effects and novel qubit architectures in Yb. The development of optical tweezers has enabled the control of atoms needed to generate dynamically configurable arrays of single atoms in arbitrary geometries, allowing for precise experimental probes of exotic phenomena such as collective interactions in atoms. In his seminal work, Dicke theorized that in close enough proximity, the dipole-dipole interactions between atoms cause them to no longer radiate independently. In this regime, a 2D atomic array can exhibit collective behavior, which can dramatically alter the optical response of the system. In subradiant arrays, spontaneous emission of the atoms is suppressed, and the interface can achieve near-perfect reflection, allowing it to act as a fully atomic mirror, and two of these interfaces can be stacked to create a cavity. We study the potential of these atomic mirrors for building cavity QED systems fully out of single atoms. Understanding and engineering the radiative response of atomic arrays and cavities could serve as a foundation for applications in quantum memories, quantum sensors, and the generation of non-classical states of light using atomic photonic elements. Towards these objectives, we demonstrate programmable 2D arrays in ytterbium atoms, state initialization into the 3P2 metastable state, and progress towards the first observation of the 1798nm 3P2-3D3 transition in Yb.