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Physical Review Letters

Shelved optical electron amplifier: Observation of quantum jumps

Warren Nagourney, Jon C. Sandberg, HANS G. DEHMELT

Published Jun 30, 1986• 936 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We demonstrate here the direct observation of quantum jumps between the ${6}^{2}$${\mathrm{S}}_{1/2}$ state and the ${5}^{2}$${\mathrm{D}}_{5/2}$ state of an individual laser-cooled ${\mathrm{Ba}}^{+}$ ions contained in a radio-frequency trap. The state detection and cooling are performed by two lasers which cause ${6}^{2}$${\mathrm{S}}_{1/2}$${\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}6}^{2}$${\mathrm{P}}_{1/2}$${\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}5}^{2}$ ${\mathrm{D}}_{3/2}$ transitions. Incoherent excitation to the ${5}^{2}$${\mathrm{D}}_{5/2}$ state (via the ${6}^{2}$${\mathrm{P}}_{3/2}$ level) causes the fluorescence from the ${6}^{2}$${\mathrm{P}}_{1/2}$ state to be suppressed for >30-sec lifetime of that state, after which the fluorescence reappears. The resulting ``telegraph signal'' provides a direct monitor of the atomic state.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.56.2797

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Optics Letters•May 15, 1990•68 citations
We demonstrate here the direct observation of quantum jumps between the {6}^{2}$${\mathrm{S}}_{1/2} state and the {5}^{2}$${\mathrm{D}}_{5/2} state of an individual laser-cooled Ba+{\mathrm{Ba}}^{+}Ba+ ions contained in a radio-frequency trap. The state detection and cooling are performed by two lasers which cause {6}^{2}$${\mathrm{S}}_{1/2}$${\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}6}^{2}$${\mathrm{P}}_{1/2}$${\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}5}^{2} D3/2{\mathrm{D}}_{3/2}D3/2​ transitions. Incoherent excitation to the {5}^{2}$${\mathrm{D}}_{5/2} state (via the {6}^{2}$${\mathrm{P}}_{3/2} level) causes the fluorescence from the {6}^{2}$${\mathrm{P}}_{1/2} state to be suppressed for >30-sec lifetime of that state, after which the fluorescence reappears. The resulting ``telegraph signal'' provides a direct monitor of the atomic state.
We performed laser spectroscopy of In+{\mathrm{In}}^{+}In+ ions stored in a radio-frequency trap. The 5s2{\mathit{s}}^{2}s2 1^{1}1S0{\mathit{S}}_{0}S0​\ensuremath{\rightarrow}5s5p 3^{3}3P1{\mathit{P}}_{1}P1​ transition at 230.6 nm was excited and its hyperfine splitting and isotope shift have been measured. The lifetime of the 3^{3}3P1{\mathit{P}}_{1}P1​ state was measured using intensity modulated laser excitation: \ensuremath{\tau}(3{(}^{3}(3P1{\mathit{P}}_{1}P1​)=0.44(4) \ensuremath{\mu}s. A single indium ion was laser cooled using this intercombination line and dark periods in the fluorescence were observed when the metastable 3^{3}3P0{\mathit{P}}_{0}P0​ state was populated by a magnetic dipole decay from 3^{3}3P1{\mathit{P}}_{1}P1​. The radiative lifetime of the forbidden transition 3^{3}3P0{\mathit{P}}_{0}P0​${\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}^{1}$S0{\mathit{S}}_{0}S0​ was determined from the duration of the dark periods: \ensuremath{\tau}(3{(}^{3}(3P0{\mathit{P}}_{0}P0​)=0.14(2) s. This value is compared to calculations based on perturbation theory. Prospects for an optical frequency standard using the narrow 5s2{\mathit{s}}^{2}s2 1^{1}1S0{\mathit{S}}_{0}S0​\ensuremath{\rightarrow}5s5p 3^{3}3P0{\mathit{P}}_{0}P0​ resonance at 236.5 nm of a single laser-cooled indium ion are discussed.
We performed laser spectroscopy of In+{\mathrm{In}}^{+}In+ ions stored in a radio-frequency trap. The 5s2{\mathit{s}}^{2}s2 1^{1}1S0{\mathit{S}}_{0}S0​\ensuremath{\rightarrow}5s5p 3^{3}3P1{\mathit{P}}_{1}P1​ transition at 230.6 nm was excited and its hyperfine splitting and isotope shift have been measured. The lifetime of the 3^{3}3P1{\mathit{P}}_{1}P1​ state was measured using intensity modulated laser excitation: \ensuremath{\tau}(3{(}^{3}(3P1{\mathit{P}}_{1}P1​)=0.44(4) \ensuremath{\mu}s. A single indium ion was laser cooled using this intercombination line and dark periods in the fluorescence were observed when the metastable 3^{3}3P0{\mathit{P}}_{0}P0​ state was populated by a magnetic dipole decay from 3^{3}3P1{\mathit{P}}_{1}P1​. The radiative lifetime of the forbidden transition 3^{3}3P0{\mathit{P}}_{0}P0​${\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}^{1}$S0{\mathit{S}}_{0}S0​ was determined from the duration of the dark periods: \ensuremath{\tau}(3{(}^{3}(3P0{\mathit{P}}_{0}P0​)=0.14(2) s. This value is compared to calculations based on perturbation theory. Prospects for an optical frequency standard using the narrow 5s2{\mathit{s}}^{2}s2 1^{1}1S0{\mathit{S}}_{0}S0​\ensuremath{\rightarrow}5s5p 3^{3}3P0{\mathit{P}}_{0}P0​ resonance at 236.5 nm of a single laser-cooled indium ion are discussed.
In a single-atom double-resonance experiment involving a strong and a weak transition, quantum jumps on the weak transition cause the fluorescence of the strong transition to turn on and off abruptly. The fluorescence is off when the weak transition is excited and on when it is not. Thus quantum jumps on the weak transition can be directly monitored by observation of the random telegraph signal radiated by the strong transition. We present here a simple theory of this effect for the case of incoherent excitation.
We detect the radiatively driven electric quadrupole transition to the metastable 2D52^{2}D_{\frac{5}{2}}2D25​​ state in a single, laser-cooled Hg II ion by monitoring the abrupt cessation of the fluorescence signal from the laser-excited $^{2}S_{\frac{1}{2}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}^{2}P_{\frac{1}{2}}$ first resonance line. When the ion "jumps" back from the metastable DDD state to the ground SSS state, the $S\ensuremath{\rightarrow}P$ resonance fluorescence signal immediately returns. The statistical properties of the quantum jumps are investigated; for example, photon antibunching in the emission from the DDD state is observed with 100% efficiency.
A single Ba+{\mathrm{Ba}}^{+}Ba+ atom was confined in a radio-frequency ion trap and cooled by near-resonant laser light. Quantum jumps into and out of the metastable 5d 2D5/2^{2}D_{5/2}2D5/2​ level were observed that followed the expected exponential distribution in dark periods to good agreement. Measurement of quantum-jump distributions together with careful measurements of the absolute partial pressures of all residual gas species enabled accurate measurements of the quenched 5d 2D5/2^{2}D_{5/2}2D5/2​ lifetime as a function of quenching gas pressure. Measurements of quenching were observed at pressures where the mean collision rate was on the order of 1 ${\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$. The results yielded quenching rate constants for the metastable level for a series of gases that typically make up the residual gas environment of ultra-high-vacuum systems (H2{\mathrm{H}}_{2}H2​, He, CH4{\mathrm{CH}}_{4}CH4​, H2{\mathrm{H}}_{2}H2​O, CO, N2{\mathrm{N}}_{2}N2​, Ar, and CO2{\mathrm{CO}}_{2}CO2​) together with an improved value of the 52{5}^{2}52D5/2{\mathrm{D}}_{5/2}D5/2​ radiative lifetime of t0{t}_{0}t0​=34.5\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}3.5 s. The above quenching rate constants were then compared with classical ion-molecule collision theory. It was found that the quenching rates for molecular gases were comparable to the classical collision rates, while the rates for atomic gases were considerably lower.
A single Sr+ atom was confined in a radio-frequency quadrupole trap and laser cooled with resonant laser light. Examination of the transition Doppler profile indicated an ion kinetic temperature of less than 500 mK. Quantum jumps into and out of the metastable 4d(2)D(5/2) level were observed by laser excitation on the electric-quadrupole-allowed transition from the ground state at 674 nm. The dark and bright periods in the strong fluorescence showed variations owing to the applied driving field on the electric-quadrupole transition. These results provide an improved determination of tau = 372 +/- 25 msec for the natural metastable-state lifetime.