General approach to state-dependent optical-tweezer traps for polar molecules

State-dependent optical tweezers can be used to trap a pair of molecules with a separation much smaller than the wavelength of the trapping light, greatly enhancing the dipole-dipole interaction between them. Here we describe a general approach to producing these state-dependent potentials using the tensor part of the ac Stark shift and show how it can be used to carry out two-qubit gates between pairs of molecules. The method is applicable to broad classes of molecules including bialkali molecules produced by atom association and those amenable to direct laser cooling.

Automated summary

State-dependent optical tweezers can be used to trap a pair of molecules with enhanced dipole-dipole interaction. A general approach using the tensor part of the ac Stark shift is described, applicable to various classes of molecules for two-qubit gates.