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Strong interaction between light and a single trapped atom without the need for a cavity

Nature Physics volume 4, pages 924–927 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Many quantum information processing protocols require efficient transfer of quantum information from a flying photon to a stationary quantum system1,2,3. To transfer information, a photon must first be absorbed by the quantum system. This can be achieved, with a probability close to unity, by an atom residing in a high-finesse cavity1. However, it is unclear whether a photon can be absorbed effectively by an atom in a free space. Here, we report on an observation of substantial extinction of a light beam by a single 87Rb atom through focusing light to a small spot with a single lens. The measured extinction values can be directly compared to the predictions of existing free-space photon–atom coupling models4,5,6. Our result should open a new perspective on processing quantum information carried by light using atoms, in particular for experiments that require strong absorption of single photons by an atom in free space.

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Figure 1: Experimental set-up for measuring the extinction of a light beam by a single atom.
Figure 2: Evidence for single-atom occupancy of our trap.
Figure 3: Energy levels and coupling light fields for a 87Rb atom trapped in a FORT with a circularly polarized trap field.
Figure 4: Transmission of the probe beam versus detuning from the natural resonant frequency of the |g〉 to |e〉 transition.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge helpful discussions with V. Scarani, A. Lamas-Linares and H. Loh. This work was partially supported by the Singapore Ministry of Education under FRC grant R-144-000-174-112. Z.C. acknowledges support from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore (A*STAR).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Quantum Technologies and Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 2, 117543, Singapore

    Meng Khoon Tey, Syed Abdullah Aljunid, Brenda Chng, Gleb Maslennikov & Christian Kurtsiefer

  2. Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, 3 Research Link, 117602, Singapore

    Zilong Chen

  3. Department of Physics, Technical University of Munich, James Franck Street, 85748 Garching, Germany

    Florian Huber

Authors
  1. Meng Khoon Tey
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  2. Zilong Chen
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  3. Syed Abdullah Aljunid
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  6. Gleb Maslennikov
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  7. Christian Kurtsiefer
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Contributions

Project planning and data analysis: M.K.T., G.M. and C.K.; experimental work: all authors; numerical work on focusing: M.K.T. and F.H.

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Correspondence to Christian Kurtsiefer.

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Tey, M., Chen, Z., Aljunid, S. et al. Strong interaction between light and a single trapped atom without the need for a cavity. Nature Phys 4, 924–927 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys1096

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