Towards mid-circuit measurements with nuclear spin qubits in an optical tweezer array

Neutral atoms in tweezers have emerged as a versatile quantum science architecture with exciting capabilities, such as programmability and single-site readout. A growing effort seeks to expand these, exploiting unique properties offered by more complex atoms and molecules. Here, we will present a platform based on one such atom: ytterbium 171 and describe our recent work on adding mid-circuit measurements, a key ingredient in quantum error correction, to the toolbox.

Ytterbium-171 has isolated nuclear spin-½–a native qubit with second-scale coherence times; while its narrow-line electronic transitions open a playground for MHz-scale manipulations on the single qubits, low-entropy state-preparation and fast readout. Employing microsecond-scale control of the clock transition and site-selectivity enabled by tweezer light shifts, we can shelve a subset of qubits to the clock state and measure the reminder; we will report our progress using this technique to realize mid-circuit measurements along with lossless state-sensitive detection.