Analysis of a single-atom dipole trap

Journal Article · Sat Apr 15 00:00:00 EDT 2006 · Physical Review. A

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVA.73.0· OSTI ID:20787124

Weber, Markus; Volz, Juergen; Saucke, Karen; Kurtsiefer, Christian; Weinfurter, Harald ^[1]

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1. Department fuer Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen, D-80799 Munich (Germany)

We describe a simple experimental technique which allows us to store a single {sup 87}Rb atom in an optical dipole trap. Due to light-induced two-body collisions during the loading stage of the trap the maximum number of captured atoms is locked to one. This collisional blockade effect is confirmed by the observation of photon antibunching in the detected fluorescence light. The spectral properties of single photons emitted by the atom were studied with a narrow-band scanning cavity. We find that the atomic fluorescence spectrum is dominated by the spectral width of the exciting laser light field. In addition we observe a spectral broadening of the atomic fluorescence light due to the Doppler effect. This allows us to determine the mean kinetic energy of the trapped atom corresponding to a temperature of 105 {mu}K. This simple single-atom trap is the key element for the generation of atom-photon entanglement required for future applications in quantum communication and a first loophole-free test of Bell's inequality.

• OSTI ID: 20787124
• Journal Information: Physical Review. A, Vol. 73, Issue 4; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.73.043406; (c) 2006 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1050-2947
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ATOMS
BELL THEOREM
DATA TRANSMISSION
DIPOLES
DOPPLER EFFECT
FLUORESCENCE
FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY
KINETIC ENERGY
LASER RADIATION
LINE BROADENING
PHOTON-ATOM COLLISIONS
PHOTONS
QUANTUM ENTANGLEMENT
RADIATION PRESSURE
RUBIDIUM
RUBIDIUM 87
TRAPPING
TRAPS
TWO-BODY PROBLEM
VISIBLE RADIATION