Towards single-atom detection on a chip
Quantum Physics
2009-11-07 v1
Abstract
We investigate the optical detection of single atoms held in a microscopic atom trap close to a surface. Laser light is guided by optical fibers or optical micro-structures via the atom to a photo-detector. Our results suggest that with present-day technology, micro-cavities can be built around the atom with sufficiently high finesse to permit unambiguous detection of a single atom in the trap with 10 s of integration. We compare resonant and non-resonant detection schemes and we discuss the requirements for detecting an atom without causing it to undergo spontaneous emission.
Cite
@article{arxiv.quant-ph/0210090,
title = {Towards single-atom detection on a chip},
author = {Peter Horak and Bruce G. Klappauf and Albrecht Haase and Ron Folman and Joerg Schmiedmayer and Peter Domokos and E. A. Hinds},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:quant-ph/0210090},
year = {2009}
}