FPGA-Based Precision Timing Control System for Ultracold Quantum Gas Experiments

A new experimental apparatus is being built in the Fundamental Quantum Physics lab which will explore the peculiar dynamics of quantum matter in the ultracold (nano-Kelvin) regime. These experiments will probe the quantum mechanical foundations of nature and require precise, reliable coordination of hundreds of electrical signals on microsecond timescales. To achieve this, I am leveraging the power of customizable FPGA (field programmable gate array) digital hardware.

We will use two National Instrument single-board Reconfigurable Input/Output (sbRIO) devices to prepare and manipulate lasercooled quantum gases. These boards will drive ramps of various laser intensities and detunings, will pulse on microwave and radiofrequency pulses, will switch on and off magnetic coils to confine the atoms in magnetic traps, will trigger cameras and imaging lasers, etc. Digital signals generated by the boards will be conditioned by custom electronics circuits involving optocouplers and linedrivers. Analog signals will be formed on custom boards that use multiplexing to provide up to 32 output channels. Each portion of the experiment will have a particular list of time-ordered actions, almost like sections of sheet music, making the sbRIO boards the conductors of this electrical orchestra. And like any orchestra, if any instrument is out of time or off-key, it can disrupt the whole piece, or ruin the experiment, in our case. In our preliminary testing, we can achieve synchronization of our output signals to within tens of nanoseconds.