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arXiv:2403.03019

Pushing single atoms near an optical cavity

Dowon Lee, Taegyu Ha, Donggeon Kim, Keumhyun Kim, Kyungwon An, Moonjoo Lee

Published Mar 5, 2024• 0 citations
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Abstract

Optical scattering force is used to reduce the loading time of single atoms to a cavity mode. Releasing a cold atomic ensemble above the resonator, we apply a push beam along the direction of gravity, offering fast atomic transport with narrow velocity distribution. We also observe in real time that, when the push beam is illuminated against gravity, single atoms slow down and even turn around in the mode, through the cavity-transmission measurement. Our method can be employed to make atom-cavity experiments more efficient.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2403.03019

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Optical scattering force is used to reduce the loading time of single atoms to a cavity mode. Releasing a cold atomic ensemble above the resonator, we apply a push beam along the direction of gravity, offering fast atomic transport with narrow velocity distribution. We also observe in real time that, when the push beam is illuminated against gravity, single atoms slow down and even turn around in the mode, through the cavity-transmission measurement. Our method can be employed to make atom-cavity experiments more efficient.
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The motion of individual cesium atoms trapped inside an optical resonator is revealed with the atom-cavity microscope (ACM). A single atom moving within the resonator generates large variations in the transmission of a weak probe laser, which are recorded in real time. An inversion algorithm then allows individual atom trajectories to be reconstructed from the record of cavity transmission and reveals single atoms bound in orbit by the mechanical forces associated with single photons. In these initial experiments, the ACM yields 2-micrometer spatial resolution in a 10-microsecond time interval. Over the duration of the observation, the sensitivity is near the standard quantum limit for sensing the motion of a cesium atom.
We have constructed a tapered magnetic atom guide that is integrated with a magneto-optical trap. We have observed atom guiding over distances of up to 20 cm. This integrated strategy is useful for loading atoms into wire guides. We have shown that tapered sections in atom guides. i.e. sections with a variable steepness of the transverse guiding potential, can reflect atoms propagating in the guide. The reflection arises from the adiabatic conservation of the action of the transverse motion; the latter can be used as a control parameter for the atom reflectivity. A method of producing a slow, dark atomic beam of atoms is demonstrated. Atoms that are extracted from a magneto-optical trap using a push beam are quickly pumped into a dark state, which does not interact with the push laser beam. This method is capable of producing atoms with a velocity of order 1 m/s. The slow atoms can be coupled into atom guides. In related research, we observe tunneling resonances of atoms in a 1D optical lattice through the measurement of the magnetization. These resonances manifest themselves as modulations in the magnetization curves. The resonances are shown to be related to the coherence properties of the atoms, and exist only under conditions where the coherence time exceeds the tunneling period of the atoms.