New technique allows physicists to place atoms right next to each other about 50 nm apart

Amazing (and/or exotic) stuff! Why don't you come closer and closer! 😊 Besides splitting or fusing atoms, we can make them neighbors.

"Physicists have managed to arrange atoms 10 times closer than standard methods can. Having atoms in such close proximity is key for technologies such as quantum simulators. ...
Physicists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have now developed a technique that can place atoms about 50 nm apart. ..."

"... The lasers could be overlaid and tuned such that the distance between their respective peaks is as small as 50 nanometers, meaning that the atoms gravitating to each respective laser’s peaks would be separated by the same 50 nanometers. ...
The team realized they could stabilize both lasers by directing them through an optical fiber, which served to lock the light beams in place in relation to each other. ..."

From the editor's note and abstract:

"Editor’s summary

Dipolar interactions between atoms with large dipole moments can be exploited for quantum simulation. Increasing these interactions could be accomplished by bringing the atoms close together. Du et al. addressed this challenge by creating a bilayer system of dipolar dysprosium atoms with the layers separated by a distance of about 50 nanometers. This setup enabled the researchers to create oscillations in one layer by acting on the other in an experiment related to Coulomb drag measurements in solid-state systems. ...

Abstract

Controlling ultracold atoms with laser light has greatly advanced quantum science. The wavelength of light sets a typical length scale for most experiments to the order of 500 nanometers (nm) or greater. In this work, we implemented a super-resolution technique that localizes and arranges atoms on a sub–50-nm scale, without any fundamental limit in resolution. We demonstrate this technique by creating a bilayer of dysprosium atoms and observing dipolar interactions between two physically separated layers through interlayer sympathetic cooling and coupled collective excitations. At 50-nm distance, dipolar interactions are 1000 times stronger than at 500 nm. For two atoms in optical tweezers, this should enable purely magnetic dipolar gates with kilohertz speed."

New technique allows physicists to place atoms right next to each other

Physicists arrange atoms in extremely close proximity The technique opens possibilities for exploring exotic states of matter and building new quantum materials.

Atomic physics on a 50-nm scale: Realization of a bilayer system of dipolar atoms (no public access)

MIT physicists developed a technique to arrange atoms (represented as spheres with arrows) in much closer proximity than previously possible, down to 50 nanometers. The group plans to use the method to manipulate atoms into configurations that could generate the first purely magnetic quantum gate — a key building block for a new type of quantum computer. In this image, the magnetic interaction is represented by the colorful lines.

Lasers of different colors are used for cooling and capturing dysprosium atoms.