Abstract
A single neutral atom is trapped in a three-dimensional optical lattice at the center of a high-finesse optical resonator. Using fluorescence imaging and a shiftable standing-wave trap, the atom is deterministically loaded into the maximum of the intracavity field where the atom-cavity coupling is strong. After 5 ms of Raman sideband cooling, the three-dimensional motional ground state is populated with a probability of . Our system is the first to simultaneously achieve quantum control over all degrees of freedom of a single atom: its position and momentum, its internal state, and its coupling to light.
- Received 20 December 2012
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.223003
© 2013 American Physical Society
Synopsis
Still Life with Atom
Published 30 May 2013
Researchers have trapped a single atom in a tiny cavity, controlling its motion, position, and coupling to photons.
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