Feedback control of a single atom in an optical cavity

We discuss feedback control of the motion of a single neutral atom trapped inside a high-finesse optical cavity. Based on the detection of single photons from a probe beam transmitted through the cavity, the position of the atom in the trap is estimated. Following this information, the trapping potential is switched between a high and a low value in order to counteract the atomic motion. This allowed us to increase the storage time by about one order of magnitude. Here, we describe the technical implementation of the feedback loop and give a detailed analysis of its limitations as deduced from Monte-Carlo simulations. We also discuss different strategies to further improve the performance of the feedback.

[1]  Hood,et al.  The atom-cavity microscope: single atoms bound in orbit by single photons , 2000, Science.

[2]  G. Rempe,et al.  Feedback cooling of a single neutral atom , 2011, 2011 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe and 12th European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO EUROPE/EQEC).

[3]  K. Murr.  On the suppression of the diffusion and the quantum nature of a cavity mode. Optical bistability: forces and friction in driven cavities , 2003, quant-ph/0304015.

[4]  Experiments with an isolated subatomic particle ar rest , 1990 .

[5]  Strategies for real-time position control of a single atom in cavity QED , 2005, quant-ph/0507064.

[6]  N V Morrow,et al.  Feedback control of atomic motion in an optical lattice. , 2002, Physical review letters.

[7]  W. Phillips.  Nobel Lecture: Laser cooling and trapping of neutral atoms , 1998 .

[8]  S. Massar,et al.  Quantum information processing and communication , 2005 .

[9]  C. cohen-tannoudji,et al.  Nobel Lecture: Manipulating atoms with photons , 1998 .

[10]  G. Rempe,et al.  Trapping and observing single atoms in a blue-detuned intracavity dipole trap. , 2007, Physical review letters.

[11]  S. Chu.  Nobel Lecture: The manipulation of neutral particles , 1998 .

[12]  Hideo Mabuchi,et al.  Feedback cooling of atomic motion in cavity QED (21 pages) , 2005, quant-ph/0509039.

[13]  T. Puppe,et al.  Nonlinear spectroscopy of photons bound to one atom , 2008, 0803.2712.

[14]  P. Maunz,et al.  Trapping an atom with single photons , 2000, Nature.

[15]  G. Rempe,et al.  Normal-mode spectroscopy of a single-bound-atom-cavity system. , 2004, Physical review letters.

[16]  S. Dawkins,et al.  Optical interface created by laser-cooled atoms trapped in the evanescent field surrounding an optical nanofiber. , 2009, Physical review letters.

[17]  G. Rempe,et al.  Two-photon gateway in one-atom cavity quantum electrodynamics , 2008, CLEO/Europe - EQEC 2009 - European Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics and the European Quantum Electronics Conference.

[18]  G. Rempe,et al.  Feedback on the motion of a single atom in an optical cavity. , 2002, Physical review letters.

[19]  W. Paul.  Electromagnetic traps for charged and neutral particles , 1990 .

[20]  Takao Aoki,et al.  A Photon Turnstile Dynamically Regulated by One Atom , 2008, Science.

[21]  D. Wineland,et al.  Frequency comparison of two high-accuracy Al+ optical clocks. , 2009, Physical review letters.

[22]  E. Schrödinger,et al.  ARE THERE QUANTUM JUMPS? , 1952, The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science.

[23]  T Schneider,et al.  Sub-Hertz optical frequency comparisons between two trapped 171Yb+ ions. , 2005, Physical review letters.

[24]  Christoph Becher,et al.  Feedback cooling of a single trapped ion. , 2006, Physical review letters.

[25]  H. Carmichael.  An open systems approach to quantum optics , 1993 .

[26]  Photon-by-photon feedback control of a single-atom trajectory , 2009, Nature.

[27]  Arthur Ashkin,et al.  Feedback stabilization of optically levitated particles , 1977 .