Cooling and trapping of Single Yb atom in a high-finesse optical cavity

Lei Tan, L. W. Liu, Yan-Fen Sun

Saran Shaju, Dmitriy Sholokhov, Simon B. Jäger +1 more

We experimentally and theoretically study the formation of dressed states emerging from strong collective coupling of the narrow intercombination line of Yb atoms to a single mode of a high-finesse optical cavity. By permanently trapping and cooling the Yb atoms during their interaction with the cavity, we gain continuous experimental access to the dressed states. This allows us to detect both their field and their atomic properties, by simultaneously measuring the steady-state cavity transmission and free-space fluorescence. By varying the cavity and probe frequencies, we observe coupled atom-cavity states with atom-number-dependent splitting, the hallmark of collective strong coupling of the atoms with the single cavity mode. We find additional fluorescence output at atomic resonance, which we explain by the effects of dephasing and inhomogeneous broadening. We compare our experimental results with a theoretical model and find good qualitative agreement.

Umakant D. Rapol, A. V. Krishna, A. Wasan +1 more

H. Arthur Klein, A.S. Bell, G. P. Barwood +1 more

Kevin Fortier, Soo Y. Kim, Michael J. Gibbons +2 more

Individual laser-cooled atoms are delivered on demand from a single atom magneto-optic trap to a high-finesse optical cavity using an atom conveyor. Strong coupling of the atom with the cavity field allows simultaneous cooling and detection of individual atoms for time scales exceeding 15 s. The single atom scatter rate is studied as a function of probe-cavity detuning and probe Rabi frequency, and the experimental results are in qualitative agreement with theoretical predictions. We demonstrate the ability to manipulate the position of a single atom relative to the cavity mode with excellent control and reproducibility.

M. Hijlkema

In this thesis a single atom is trapped in the mode of a high-finesse cavity and used to generate single photons in a controlled way. Starting from a magneto-optical trap, rubidium atoms are loaded into an optical dipole-force trap and transported to the cavity. On arrival the atoms are trapped in another trap with a standing wave geometry and excited by a pump laser incident perpendicular to the cavity axis. With the help of cavity cooling forces, a single atom could then be selected and trapped for up to a minute. A sequence of laser pulses is applied to induce the emission of a stream of single photons from the atom. Up to 300000 photons could be generated from the same atom in this way. The single-photon character of the source is verified within a few seconds after which the photons can be distributed to an independent user while monitoring the presence of the atom.