How to catch an atom with single photons

Autor:	Pepijn W. H. Pinkse, T. Puppe, Gerhard Rempe, Thomas Fischer, Peter Maunz
Rok vydání:	2000
Předmět:	Condensed Matter::Quantum Gases Physics Photon Energetic neutral atom Physics::Optics Atomic and Molecular Physics and Optics law.invention Standing wave Atom laser Light intensity law Optical cavity Atom Physics::Atomic Physics Atomic physics Light field
Zdroj:	Journal of Modern Optics. 47:2769-2787
ISSN:	1362-3044 0950-0340
DOI:	10.1080/09500340008232196
Popis:	We report on trapping a single neutral atom in the standing-wave light field of a high-finesse optical cavity containing one photon on average, a single-photon optical trap, or SPOT for short. This trap has the novel feature that the light field is also used to observe the atom in real time. The oscillatory motion of the trapped atom induces well-resolved oscillations of the light intensity. Periodic structure is visible in the fourth-order intensity correlation function, attributed to long-distance flights of the atom along the standing wave. The finite duration of those flights provides evidence for cavity-mediated cooling of atoms. We discuss the various mechanisms determining the trapping time and compare the results with a quantum-jump Monte Carlo simulation to interpret the observed signals.
Databáze:	OpenAIRE
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