New microscope maps quantum gas in phase space

Researchers at the University of Cambridge and TU Dortmund University have detailed protocols for a new class of quantum gas microscope capable of mapping momentum in phase space. The work introduces two distinct operational modes, the Husimi-Q and averaged-mode phase space microscopes, each offering a different balance between position and momentum measurement precision. The averaged-mode microscope can retrieve the spatial dependence of averages of momentum density with arbitrary spatial resolution, a capability exceeding that of standard quantum gas microscopy. These techniques extend existing methods by mapping momentum onto auxiliary degrees of freedom and using positive operator-valued measures. N.R. Cooper of the TCM Group and C. Weitenberg at TU Dortmund University co-authored the work detailing these techniques. The core of this development lies in the ability to simultaneously access atomic occupations and correlations in both position and momentum, despite these being conjugate variables that do not typically…