Abstract
We construct a scheme for the preparation, pairwise entanglement via exchange interaction, manipulation, and measurement of individual group-II-like neutral atoms (Yb, Sr, etc.). Group-II-like atoms proffer important advantages over alkali metals, including long-lived optical-transition qubits that enable fast manipulation and measurement. Our scheme provides a promising approach for producing weighted graph states, entangled resources for quantum communication, and possible application to fundamental tests of Bell inequalities that close both detection and locality loopholes.