Progress Towards a Quantum Simulator with Enhanced Rydberg Detection

Rydberg atom arrays have shown exceptional promise for quantum simulation and quantum information processing. However, in conventional Rydberg atom array setups, Rydberg atoms are typically inferred indirectly through atom loss or shelving, which limits their detection fidelity and mid-circuit access. In this work, we present progress towards a hybrid atom-ion platform combining a tweezer array of singly-trapped neutral atoms with a linear Paul trap. A central feature of our platform is a measurement scheme that enables direct and independent Rydberg-state readout via fluorescence imaging of trapped ions formed from autoionized Rydberg atoms. This approach would provide unified mid-circuit imaging of both ground-state atoms and Rydberg excitations for high-fidelity detection of erasure errors in a neutral-atom quantum simulator.