Single atoms in optical traps and high-Q cavities

Abstract

A variety of experiments are underway in the Quantum Optics Group at Caltech which investigate the quantum nature of atom-field interactions at the level of individual atoms and quanta. A recent technical advance in support of this research is the observation of cooling and trapping of single neutral cesium atoms in magneto-optical trap. Discrete steps are recorded in the fluorescence signal from the trap and are associated with the arrival and departure of individual trapped atoms. Such a spatially localized sample of a single atom with small kinetic energy is an enabling advance for diverse studies in quantum optics, including the possibility of spectroscopy with squeezed and other forms of nonclassical light and cavity quantum electrodynamics with strong coupling of an atom to the field of an optical cavity.