Light-assisted collisions and time-of-flight experiments in optical tweezers

Single neutral atoms trapped in tightly-confining optical tweezers form a powerful system for studying quantum computation and quantum simulation. Here, we present research on preparing and characterizing controlled states of number and motion of atoms in these tweezers.  We are using free-space imaging and our control over tunnel couplings in order to characterize atomic motion.  We also present calculations of the molecular dynamics of atoms undergoing light-assisted collisions, which are important for loading optical tweezers with single atoms.  We discuss how these collisions that happen at relatively long-range distances and low energy scales pose unique challenges and can be elucidated in the controlled environment of optical tweezers.