Title :
Quantum manipulation and measurement of single atoms in optical cavity QED
Author :
Ye, Jun ; Hood, Christina J. ; Lynn, Theresa ; Mabuchi, Hideo ; Vernooy, David W. ; Kimble, H. Jeff
Author_Institution :
Norman Bridge Lab. of Phys., California Inst. of Technol., Pasadena, CA, USA
fDate :
4/1/1999 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
Using laser-cooled atoms strongly coupled to a high finesse optical cavity, we have performed real-time continuous measurements of single atomic trajectories in terms of the interaction energy (Eint ) with the cavity. Individual transit events reveal a shot-noise limited measurement (fractional) sensitivity of 4×10-4/√Hz to variations in Eint/h within a bandwidth of 1300 kHz. The strong coupling of atom and cavity leads to a maximum interaction energy greater than the kinetic energy of an intracavity laser-cooled atom, even under weak cavity excitation. Evidence of mechanical light forces for intracavity photon number <1 has been observed. The quantum character of the nonlinear optical response of the atom-cavity system is manifested for the trajectory of a single atom
Keywords :
laser cooling; quantum electrodynamics; quantum optics; QED; interaction energy; laser cooling; mechanical light force; nonlinear optical response; optical cavity; quantum measurement; shot noise; single atom dynamics; strong coupling; Atom lasers; Atom optics; Atomic beams; Atomic measurements; Bandwidth; Energy measurement; Nonlinear optics; Optical coupling; Optical sensors; Performance evaluation;
Journal_Title :
Instrumentation and Measurement, IEEE Transactions on