English

Intensity-field correlation of single-atom resonance fluorescence

Quantum Physics 2015-05-13 v4

Abstract

We report measurements of an intensity-field correlation function of the resonance fluorescence of a single trapped Ba+ ion. Detection of a photon prepares the atom in its ground state and we observe its subsequent evolution under interaction with a laser field of well defined phase. We record the regression of the resonance fluorescence source field. This provides a direct measurement of the field of the radiating dipole of a single atom and exhibits its strong non-classical behavior. In the experimental setup an interference measurement is conditioned on a fluorescence photon detection. The third-order correlation function thus recorded demonstrates an aspect of wave-particle duality at the single-atom, single-photon level.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.0901.3979,
  title  = {Intensity-field correlation of single-atom resonance fluorescence},
  author = {S. Gerber and D. Rotter and L. Slodicka and J. Eschner and H. J. Carmichael and R. Blatt},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0901.3979},
  year   = {2015}
}

Comments

4 pages, 4 figures, accepted in PRL

R2 v1 2026-06-21T12:04:36.198Z