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Europhysics Letters (EPL)

Ion-trap laser

Georg M. Meyer, H. J. Briegel, HERBERT WALTHER

Published Feb 10, 1997• 97 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Laser operation with a single trapped Ca + ion in a high-finesse optical cavity is predicted at a wavelength of 866 nm. Different from a conventional laser, the formation of two thresholds can be observed. For both small and large pump strengths the field is quasi-thermal, in an intermediate region laser light with Poissonian and even sub-Poissonian statistics is produced. Atomic coherence effects play an important role. The multi-level system is treated by generalizing the pump-operator approach ( Europhys. Lett. , 33 (1996) 515).

DOI
10.1209/epl/i1997-00150-y

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Laser operation with a single trapped Ca + ion in a high-finesse optical cavity is predicted at a wavelength of 866 nm. Different from a conventional laser, the formation of two thresholds can be observed. For both small and large pump strengths the field is quasi-thermal, in an intermediate region laser light with Poissonian and even sub-Poissonian statistics is produced. Atomic coherence effects play an important role. The multi-level system is treated by generalizing the pump-operator approach ( Europhys. Lett. , 33 (1996) 515).
We propose a model for a single-trapped-ion vibronic Raman laser and study its dynamics by using quantum-trajectory methods. In our treatment, it is essential that both the cavity field of the high-finesse optical cavity and the center-of-mass vibrational motion of the trapped ion be quantized. A transition from a super-Poissonian light source to a Poissonian lasing regime is obtained by increasing the Raman coupling constant. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a nonclassical regime can be realized, where the photon statistics becomes sub-Poissonian and the photons leak out of the cavity in an antibunched manner. This is achieved by exploiting nonlinear Stark shifts inherent in the model, which depend on both the number of cavity photons and the number of vibrational quanta.
We have employed radio-frequency trapping to localize a single 40 Ca + -ion in a high-finesse optical cavity. By means of laser Doppler cooling, the position spread of the ion's wavefunction along the cavity axis was reduced to 42 nm, a fraction of the resonance wavelength of ionized calcium (λ = 397 nm). By controlling the position of the ion in the optical field, continuous and completely deterministic coupling of ion and field was realized. The precise three-dimensional location of the ion in the cavity was measured by observing the fluorescent light emitted upon excitation in the cavity field. The single-ion system is ideally suited to implement cavity quantum electrodynamics under cw conditions. To this end we operate the cavity on the D 3/2 –P 1/2 transition of 40 Ca + (λ = 866 nm). Applications include the controlled generation of single-photon pulses with high efficiency and two-ion quantum gates.
Summary form only given. In a recent experiment, we have investigated the interaction between a single /sup 40/Ca/sup +/-ion stored in a radio-frequency trap and the field of an optical cavity. One mode of the cavity was tuned to the S/sub 1/2/ to P/sub 1/2/ transition of singly ionized calcium at a wavelength of /spl lambda/ = 397 nm. Using laser Doppler cooling in conjunction with the strong confinement of the ion in an effective harmonic potential (frequency 1.1 MHz), the extension of the ion's wave packet was reduced to 60 nm, corresponding to /spl lambda//7, in the direction of the cavity axis. The position of the ion in the cavity was determined by observing the fluorescent light emitted by the ion after excitation in the cavity field. A large fluorescent rate indicated a position of high intracavity intensity. An image of the standing wave pattern obtained in this way is shown. Note that throughout the measurement the ion remains stationary and the cavity is moved to scan the relative position of ion and field.
Summary form only given. Among the ions proposed for a frequency standard in the optical domain, Ca/sup +/ is one of the most favorable candidates due to its wavelengths accessible with all-solid-state laser systems. This allows to imagine an ultimate experimental setup being simple and compact. The 4S/sub 1/2/-3D/sub 5/2/ electric quadrupole transition at 729 nm with a natural linewidth below 1 Hz serves as clock transition, while laser cooling on one of the resonance lines is carried out at 397 nm. To obtain the small spectral linewidths necessary for a frequency standard performance, it is essential to reduce the residual Doppler broadening caused by the RF heating in the Paul trap. The first-order Doppler broadening of a single ion can be eliminated in the Lamb-Dicke regime where the ion's amplitude of motion is inferior to the emitted wavelength. The main condition for the access of this frequency modulation regime is a high motional frequency of the trapped ion. This is more easily obtained in a low capacitance device and thus traps with reduced dimensions are required. We have set up a miniature ion trap of the Paul-Straubel-type. The stored ions are observed by a photomultiplier in the photon-counting mode as well as by an intensified CCD camera, permitting the visualization of their spatial behavior. Laser cooling of the Ca/sup +/ ions is carried out on the 4S/sub 1/2/-4P/sup 1/2/ resonance line at 397 nm. Progress on the characterization of the trapped single ion as well as on the generation of the involved wavelengths exclusively by solid-state lasers is reported.