Controllable Optical Phase Shift Over One Radian from a Single Isolated Atom

Jechow, Andreas; Norton, B. G.; Händel, S.; Blūms, Valdis; Streed, Erik; Kielpinski, David

doi:10.1103/physrevlett.110.113605

Cited by 16 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 20 publications

(27 reference statements)

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“…No matter how large the coupling efficiency is in dependence of η and Ω N [1,23], the phase of the light scattered coherently by the atom is fixed for a given detuning. This phase lag has been examined recently by a background subtraction technique [19] in an experimental regime of low coupling efficiency, i.e. exciting the atom from small solid angle.…”

Section: -3mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The phase shift induced by a single atom in free space

Sondermann

Leuchs

2013

J. Eur. Opt. Soc.-Rapid Publ.

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In this article we theoretically study the phase shift a single atom imprints onto a coherent state light beam in free space. The calculations are performed in a semiclassical framework. The key parameters governing the interaction and thus the measurable phase shift are the solid angle from which the light is focused onto the atom and the overlap of the incident radiation with the atomic dipole radiation pattern. The analysis includes saturation effects and discusses the associated Kerr-type non-linearity of a single atom.

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Section: -3mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[11] for the extinction of a coherent beam. Another example for an asymmetric setup is the usage of different types of optics for focusing and collection, respectively [18,19]. Also every finite size parabolic mirror constitutes an asymmetric setup as outlined in more detail below.…”

Section: Derivation Of the Phase Shiftmentioning

confidence: 99%

The phase shift induced by a single atom in free space

Sondermann

Leuchs

2013

J. Eur. Opt. Soc.-Rapid Publ.

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“…The ability, on the other hand, to control phases and relative phases over the short length scales of microscopic media is a challenging task in optics and of obvious relevance to modern microscopy [1], information processing [2][3][4], and micro-and nanoscale optics [5,6]. In quantum systems, e.g., large and controllable optical phase shifts have long remained elusive and only recently appreciable shifts have been observed from atoms [7], molecules [8], trapped ions [9], and superconducting qubits [10]. It's even less obvious how to attain large and controllable optical shifts working at low-light levels or with the tiny optical powers of several or a few photons.…”

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confidence: 99%

Large Phase-by-Phase Modulations in Atomic Interfaces

Artoni

Zavatta

2015

Phys. Rev. Lett.

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Phase-resonant closed-loop optical transitions can be engineered to achieve broadly tunable light phase shifts. Such a novel phase-by-phase control mechanism does not require a cavity and is illustrated here for an atomic interface where a classical light pulse undergoes radian level phase modulations all-optically controllable over a few micron scale. It works even at low intensities and hence may be relevant to new applications of all-optical weak-light signal processing. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.113005 PACS numbers: 32.80.Qk, 42.50.Gy All refractive optics of macroscopic media, including basic tools such as lenses, work by applying spatially varying phase shifts of several radians to incoming light beams. The ability, on the other hand, to control phases and relative phases over the short length scales of microscopic media is a challenging task in optics and of obvious relevance to modern microscopy [1], information processing [2][3][4], and micro-and nanoscale optics [5,6]. In quantum systems, e.g., large and controllable optical phase shifts have long remained elusive and only recently appreciable shifts have been observed from atoms [7], molecules [8], trapped ions [9], and superconducting qubits [10]. It's even less obvious how to attain large and controllable optical shifts working at low-light levels or with the tiny optical powers of several or a few photons. This requires unpractical propagation distances, often overcome by using multipass high-finesse optical cavities [11], or strong enhancements of the weak photon-photon nonlinear interactions. Electromagnetically induced transparency, e.g., is commonly used in trapped atomic samples to enhance the weak Kerr effect responsible for the photonphoton interaction, namely, through a significant reduction of the photon's propagation speed. Within this context, multilevel atom configurations driven to attain large crossphase-modulation effects have been extensively studied [12][13][14][15][16] and over the years various demonstrations [17][18][19][20] of phase shifts, which may even reach the size of a radian [21][22][23], have been carried out yet at the price of fairly large light intensities. Conversely, this seems to confirm early predictions that large shifts through enhancement of Kerr nonlinearities at low-light levels or even down to the singlephoton level [24,25] are unlikely.Here we discuss a physical mechanism to achieve radianlevel shifts in the phase of an optical field across the tiny length scales of an atomic interface [26]. We show that the phase of a weak narrow band signal wave packet can be steered by easily changing the interface driving parameters or by means of another weak narrow band copropagating control wave packet. The signal phase may be preserved or set to acquire continuously variable shifts reaching π radians. This can be done all-optically over a few microns.The proposal is illustrated for classical coherent states and builds on ideas of resonant effects occurring in atomic transitions with a closed excitation loop,...

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“…[27] and Ref. [28], respectively. Here we note that, although the use of an optical cavity provides an intriguing sensitivity for a single atom [29][30][31], this cannot be simply combined with a QGM technique because a cavity spatial mode determines the spatial resolution and therefore the single-site resolution is not expected.…”

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Site-resolved imaging of single atoms with a Faraday quantum gas microscope

et al. 2017

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We successfully demonstrate a quantum gas microscopy using the Faraday effect which has an inherently non-destructive nature. The observed Faraday rotation angle reaches 3.0(2) degrees for a single atom. We reveal the non-destructive feature of this Faraday imaging method by comparing the detuning dependence of the Faraday signal strength with that of the photon scattering rate. We determine the atom distribution with deconvolution analysis. We also demonstrate the absorption and the dark field Faraday imaging, and reveal the different shapes of the point spread functions for these methods, which are fully explained by theoretical analysis. Our result is an important first step towards an ultimate quantum non-demolition site-resolved imaging and furthermore opens up the possibilities for quantum feedback control of a quantum many-body system with a single-site resolution.PACS numbers: 67.85. Hj, 07.60.Pb, 37.10.Jk, 78.20.Ls Measurement and manipulation of each single quantum object in a quantum many-body system lie at the heart of quantum information processing [1]. For ultracold atoms in an optical lattice, a technique of single-siteresolved imaging and single-site-addressing, called quantum gas microscope (QGM), is recently demonstrated for bosons [2][3][4][5] and fermions [6][7][8][9][10]. The development of QGM technique enables us to realize various fascinating experiments in the study of quantum many-body system [11][12][13][14][15][16], otherwise almost impossible to perform. In the currently developed QGM methods, however, atoms are measured by detecting fluorescent photons from atoms irradiated with near resonant probe light, resulting in the destruction of the quantum states of atoms such as internal spin states. In addition, the measurement inevitably induces considerable recoil heating, requiring elaborate cooling scheme in a deep optical lattice.An ultimate quantum measurement and control such as quantum non-demolition (QND) measurement and quantum feedback control is, on the one hand, demonstrated for a single mode of field state with a cavityquantum-electrodynamics (QED) system [17,18], for a collective spin ensemble by a dispersive atom-light interaction [19][20][21][22][23][24][25], and also for a superconducting quantum bit by a circuit QED system [26]. In order to realize an ultimate quantum measurement and control for each atom in an optical lattice, we need to develop a new detection method of QGM which does not rely on the destructive fluorescent measurement. Promising results along this line were already reported on the detection of a single atom trapped with a tightly-focused laser beam and a single ion in an ion-trap with a dispersive method in Ref.[27] and Ref. [28], respectively. Here we note that, although the use of an optical cavity provides an intriguing sensitivity for a single atom [29][30][31], this cannot be simply combined with a QGM technique because a cavity spatial mode determines the spatial resolution and therefore the single-site resolution is not expected.In this pap...

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Controllable Optical Phase Shift Over One Radian from a Single Isolated Atom

Cited by 16 publications

References 20 publications

The phase shift induced by a single atom in free space

The phase shift induced by a single atom in free space

Large Phase-by-Phase Modulations in Atomic Interfaces

Site-resolved imaging of single atoms with a Faraday quantum gas microscope

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