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Physical Review A

Spectroscopy of atoms confined to the single node of a standing wave in a parallel-plate cavity

Vahid Sandoghdar, Charles I. Sukenik, S. Haroche, E. A. Hinds

Published Mar 1, 1996• 33 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We have performed spectroscopy on sodium atoms that are optically channeled in the single node of a laser standing wave set up across a parallel-plate cavity. Using this technique we have extended our previous measurement of the Lennard-Jones van der Waals energy-level shift [Sandoghdar et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 68, 3432 (1992)] down to a cavity width of \ensuremath{\sim}500 nm. We discuss the applications of this technique to the precise measurement of atom-surface distances. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.53.1919

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We have performed spectroscopy on sodium atoms that are optically channeled in the single node of a laser standing wave set up across a parallel-plate cavity. Using this technique we have extended our previous measurement of the Lennard-Jones van der Waals energy-level shift [Sandoghdar et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 68, 3432 (1992)] down to a cavity width of \ensuremath{\sim}500 nm. We discuss the applications of this technique to the precise measurement of atom-surface distances. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
We have measured the energy of interaction between a sodium atom and its electrical images in the walls of a micron‐sized cavity. The atoms are centrally located between two plane parallel gold mirrors whose separation is varied from 500 nm to 2400 nm. In the smallest cavities, the atoms are held near the center by means of a one‐dimensional optical dipole trap. Energy level shifts are measured directly by laser spectroscopy of the states nS with n in the range 10–13. This cavity QED study provides the first direct, quantitative test of the Lennard‐Jones–van der Waals interaction as a function of controlled atom‐surface separation and mean square electric dipole moment.
We have measured the energy of interaction between a sodium atom and its electrical images in the walls of a micron‐sized cavity. The atoms are centrally located between two plane parallel gold mirrors whose separation is varied from 500 nm to 2400 nm. In the smallest cavities, the atoms are held near the center by means of a one‐dimensional optical dipole trap. Energy level shifts are measured directly by laser spectroscopy of the states nS with n in the range 10–13. This cavity QED study provides the first direct, quantitative test of the Lennard‐Jones–van der Waals interaction as a function of controlled atom‐surface separation and mean square electric dipole moment.
The development of nanotechnology and atom optics relies on understanding how atoms behave and interact with their environment. Isolated atoms can exhibit wavelike (coherent) behavior with a corresponding de Broglie wavelength and phase which can be affected by nearby surfaces. Here an atom interferometer is used to measure the phase shift of Na atom waves induced by the walls of a 50 nm wide cavity. To our knowledge this is the first direct measurement of the de Broglie wave phase shift caused by atom-surface interactions. The magnitude of the phase shift is in agreement with that predicted by Lifshitz theory for a nonretarded van der Waals interaction. This experiment also demonstrates that atom waves can retain their coherence even when atom-surface distances are as small as 10 nm.
The high sensitivity of Laser Spectroscopy has made possible the exploration of atomic resonances in newly designed "nanometric" gas cells, whose local thickness varies from 20nm to more than 1000 nm. Following the initial observation of the optical analogous of the coherent Dicke microwave narrowing, the newest prospects include the exploration of long-range atom surface van der Waals interaction with spatial resolution in an unprecedented range of distances, modification of atom dielectric resonant coupling under the influence of the coupling between the two neighbouring dielectric media, and even the possible modification of interatomic collisions processes under the effect of confinement.