Progress Towards Blue-detuned Optical Traps and Tweezers of Laser-Cooled CaF Molecules

Optical tweezer arrays of laser-cooled molecules provide a powerful platform for achieving full quantum control and long coherence times, key requirements for quantum-enhanced precision measurements and quantum information applications. However, the high intensity trapping light present in red-detuned optical dipole traps (ODTs) and tweezers can interfere with efficient laser cooling, leading to elevated temperatures and eventual thermal dephasing. Blue-detuned tweezers introduce minimal AC Stark shifts, allowing for efficient in-trap cooling and providing improved qubit coherence times and gate fidelities. In addition, Blue-detuned ODTs can provide an efficient evaporative cooling method for the realization of molecular Bose-Einstein Condensates. Here, we report on the progress towards loading laser-cooled CaF molecules in blue-detuned traps and tweezers. We demonstrate the generation of optimized blue traps using Spatial Light Modulators and computer-generated holography algorithms, in addition to efficient blue tweezer loading from red tweezers.