Forces between a single atom and its distant mirror image

An excited-state atom whose emitted light is backreflected by a distant mirror can experience trapping forces, because the presence of the mirror modifies both the electromagnetic vacuum field and the atom's own radiation reaction field. We demonstrate this mechanical action using a single trapped barium ion. We observe the trapping conditions to be notably altered when the distant mirror is translated across an optical wavelength. The well-localized barium ion enables the spatial dependence of the forces to be measured explicitly. The experiment has implications for quantum information processing and may be regarded as the most elementary optical tweezers.     

Atomic self-trapping induced by single-atom lasing

We study atomic center of mass motion and field dynamics of a single-atom laser consisting of a single incoherently pumped free atom moving in an optical high-Q resonator. For sufficient pumping, the system starts lasing whenever the atom is close to a field antinode. If the field mode eigenfrequency is larger than the atomic transition frequency, the generated laser light attracts the atom to the field antinode and cools its motion. Using quantum Monte Carlo wave function simulations, we investigate this coupled atom-field dynamics including photon recoil and cavity decay. In the regime of strong coupling, the generated field shows strong nonclassical features such as photon antibunching, and the atom is spatially confined and cooled to sub-Doppler temperatures.     

Single atom transistor in a 1D optical lattice

We propose a scheme utilizing a quantum interference phenomenon to switch the transport of atoms in a 1D optical lattice through a site containing an impurity atom. The impurity represents a qubit which in one spin state is transparent to the probe atoms, but in the other acts as a single atom mirror. This allows a single-shot quantum nondemolition measurement of the qubit spin.     

Autler-Townes triplet spectroscopy

We study the effects of quantum interference in the spontaneous emission spectrum of a four-level driven atomic system. We use three strong laser fields to drive the atom and a weak laser field to prepare the initial state of the atom. The atomic system exhibits Autler-Townes triplet in the spectrum. The single Lorentzian peak splits into triplet and their widths are controlled by the relative strengths of the laser fields.     

Atom trap in an axicon mirror

We have realized a novel atom trap in an axicon (conical hollow) mirror, using a frequency-modulated, single-diode laser. Different spatial distributions of trapped atoms such as a ball and a ring are observed. We show that our numerical simulations are consistent with experimental results. In particular, the ring diameter is found to be approximately the separation between the mirror axis and the magnetic field axis. The axicon trap may be useful as a precooled atom source for cold atomic beams, atom funnels, and atom waveguides.     

Detecting a single atom in a cavity using the χ(2) nonlinear medium

We propose a protocol for detecting a single atom in a cavity with the help of the χ⁽²⁾ nonlinear medium. When the χ⁽²⁾ nonlinear medium is driven by an external laser field, the cavity mode will be squeezed, and thus one can obtain an exponentially enhanced light-matter coupling. Such a strong coupling between the atom and the cavity field can significantly change the output photon flux, the quantum fluctuations, the quantum statistical property, and the photon number distributions of the cavity field. This provides practical strategies to determine the presence or absence of an atom in a cavity. The proposed protocol exhibits some advantages, such as controllable squeezing strength and exponential increase of atom-cavity coupling strength, which make the experimental phenomenon more obvious. We hope that this protocol can supplement the existing intracavity single-atom detection protocols and provide a promise for quantum sensing in different quantum systems.     

Strong field quantum path control using attosecond pulse trains

We show that attosecond pulse trains have a natural application in the control of strong field processes. In combination with an intense infrared laser field, the pulse train can be used to microscopically select a single quantum path contribution to a process that would otherwise consist of several interfering components. We present calculations that demonstrate this by manipulating the time-frequency properties of high order harmonics at the single atom level. This quantum path selection can also be used to define a high resolution attosecond clock.     

High-efficiency detection of a single quantum of angular momentum by suppression of optical pumping

We propose and demonstrate experimentally the discrimination between two spin states of an atom purely on the basis of their angular momentum. The discrimination relies on angular momentum selection rules and does not require magnetic effects such as a magnetic dipole moment of the atom or an applied magnetic field. The central ingredient is to prevent by coherent population trapping an optical pumping process which would otherwise relax the spin state before a detectable signal could be obtained. We detected the presence or absence of a single quantum (h) of angular momentum in a trapped calcium ion in a single observation with success probability 0.86. As a practical technique, the method can be applied to read out some types of quantum computer.     

边界振动的微腔中的二能级原子

采用全量子理论，对注入腔内的二能级原子、单模腔场和振动边界(视为频率为ω_m的量子谐振子)构成的系统，在相互作用绘景中，求解了该系统的态函数随时间的演化关系，在此基础上得到了原子布居数随时间的演化关系，结果显示布居数在初始值附近振荡，这说明边界的振动是周期性的，它对原子布居数的影响也是周期性的. 关键词： 边界振动的微腔 二能级原子 布居数     

Atom detection and photon production in a scalable, open, optical microcavity

A microfabricated Fabry-Perot optical resonator has been used for atom detection and photon production with less than 1 atom on average in the cavity mode. Our cavity design combines the intrinsic scalability of microfabrication processes with direct coupling of the cavity field to single-mode optical waveguides or fibers. The presence of the atom is seen through changes in both the intensity and the noise characteristics of probe light reflected from the cavity input mirror. An excitation laser passing transversely through the cavity triggers photon emission into the cavity mode and hence into the single-mode fiber. These are first steps toward building an optical microcavity network on an atom chip for applications in quantum information processing.     

An analytical description of the atomic information entropy in a multi-level system

We construct a complete representation of the atomic information entropy of an arbitrary multi-level system. Our approach is applicable to all scenarios in which the quantum state shared by a single particle and fields is known. As illustrations we apply our findings to a single four-level atom strongly coupled to a cavity field and driven by a coherent laser field. In this framework, we discuss connections with entanglement frustration and entropic forms. We conclude by showing how the atomic information entropy can be extended to examine entanglement in multi-level atomic systems.     

A single trapped atom in front of an oscillating mirror

We investigate the Wigner-Weisskopf decay of a two-level atom in front of an oscillating mirror. This work builds on and extends previous theoretical and experimental studies of the effects of a static mirror on spontaneous decay and resonance fluorescence. The spontaneously emitted field is inherently non-stationary due to the time-dependent boundary conditions and in order to study its spectral distribution we employ the operational definition of the spectrum of non-stationary light due to the seminal work by Eberly and Wódkiewicz. We find a rich dependence of this spectrum as well as of the effective decay rates and level shifts on the mirror-atom distance and on the amplitude and frequency of the mirror’s oscillations. The results presented here provide the basis for future studies of more complex setups, where the motion of the atom and/or the mirror are included as quantum degrees of freedom.     

A scheme of quantum phase gate for trapped ion

We propose a scheme to implement two-qubit controlled quantum phase gate(CQPG) via a single trapped two-level ion located in the standing wave field of a quantum cavity, in which the trap works beyond the Lamb--Dicke limit. When the light field is resonant with the atomic transition $|g\rangle\leftrightarrow|e\rangle$ of the ion located at the antinode of the standing wave, we can perform CQPG between the internal and external states of the trapped ion; while the frequency of the light field is chosen to be resonant with the first red sideband of the collective vibrational mode of the ion located at the node of the standing wave, we can perform CQPG between the cavity mode and the collective vibrational mode of the trapped ion. Neither the Lamb--Dicke approximation nor the assistant classical laser is needed. Also we can generate a GHZ state if assisted with a classical laser.     

Atomic quantum dots coupled to a reservoir of a superfluid Bose-Einstein condensate

We study the dynamics of an atomic quantum dot, i.e., a single atom in a tight optical trap which is coupled to a superfluid reservoir via laser transitions. Quantum interference between the collisional interactions and the laser induced coupling results in a tunable dot-bath coupling, allowing an essentially complete decoupling from the environment. Quantum dots embedded in a 1D Luttinger liquid of cold bosonic atoms realize a spin-boson model with Ohmic coupling, which exhibits a dissipative phase transition and allows us to directly measure atomic Luttinger parameters.     

Ionization of clusters in strong x-ray laser pulses

The effect of intense x-ray laser interaction on argon clusters is studied theoretically with a mixed quantum/classical approach. In comparison to a single atom we find that ionization of the cluster is suppressed, which is in striking contrast to the observed behavior of rare-gas clusters in intense optical laser pulses. We have identified two effects responsible for this phenomenon: A high space charge of the cluster in combination with a small quiver amplitude and delocalization of electrons in the cluster. We elucidate their impact for different field strengths and cluster sizes.     

Study of “forbidden” atomic transitions on D2 line using Rb nano-cell placed in external magnetic field

In this paper the treatment of a three-level atom which is confined in a Fabry-Perot optical cavity with a nonlinear mirror is investigated. Despite the nonlinear effects we show that this system operates in two different regimes. In one regime the system shows conventional laser properties which is approximated by a semiclassical laser theory and in the other one the system displays new quantum properties which is approximated by an effective two-level atom. For validity of the behavior of the system in two different regimes computer simulations are implemented.     

强度依存耦合J-C模型中光场强度对原子共振荧光的影响

本文应用量子电动力学理论,研究了强度依存耦合的二能级原子与单模光场相互作用系统中,光场强度对原子共振荧光的影响.证明了系统的共振荧光仍有三峰带结构,光场强度的增加,将使三峰带结构更加明显,但当光场强度很大,使得本征谱分裂值等于一个激光光子能量时,三峰带结构变为双峰带结构,而且边峰带由单光子跃迁变为双光子跃迁.     

Experimental progress in optical manipulation of single atoms for cavity QED

Cavity QED, as a fundamental system and research field, not only illuminates the primary aspects of decoherence and coherence in quantum dynamics, but also advances quantum information science. Manipulation of single atoms, in the context of cavity QED, is the essential element and has been becoming a hot issue for the past two decades. In this review paper, we will concentrate on the experimental aspects for manipulating the neutral atoms strongly coupled to a high-finesse cavity in the optical regime, including atomic cooling and trapping, different configurations of atom transportation and the wide variety of quantum outgrowths based on cavity QED, such as one atom laser, single photon source, etc. The cavity QED system at Shanxi University is briefly introduced.      

Optical clock with ultracold neutral atoms

We demonstrate how to realize an optical clock with neutral atoms that is competitive to the currently best single ion optical clocks in accuracy and superior in stability. Using ultracold atoms in a Ca optical frequency standard, we show how to reduce the relative uncertainty to below 10(-15). We observed atom interferences for stabilization of the laser to the clock transition with a visibility of 0.36, which is 70% of the ultimate limit achievable with atoms at rest. A novel scheme was applied to detect these atom interferences with the prospect to reach the quantum projection noise limit at an exceptional low instability of 4 x 10(-17) in 1 s.     

囚禁离子非线性J-C模型量子态保真度

用全量子理论研究驻波激光场与囚禁离子相互作用系统中量子态保真度,详细讨论离子质心在驻波激光场中位置及离子初始状态对保真度的影响.结果表明:随着囚禁离子从远离驻波激光场波节处向波节处移动,量子态保真度振荡频率越来越高,振荡幅度几乎不变,且保真度到达第一个极小值所用时间越来越短,但不会出现信息完全失真;随着囚禁离子处于基态概率增加,量子态保真度振荡频率几乎不变,振荡幅度越来越小,也不会出现信息完全失真;在信息储存或传递过程中,囚禁离子量子态失真比系统和驻波场量子态失真小.