Controlled insertion and retrieval of atoms coupled to a high-finesse optical resonator

TL;DR

This paper experimentally studies the interaction of one and two laser-cooled caesium atoms with a high-finesse optical resonator, demonstrating controlled atom insertion, retrieval, and position-dependent coupling analysis.

Contribution

It introduces a method for controlled atom insertion and retrieval in a high-finesse cavity, enabling detailed interaction studies with minimal heating effects.

Findings

Strong coupling of single atoms observed for hundreds of milliseconds

Position-dependent atom-cavity coupling demonstrated

A heating-suppressed retrieval method developed

Abstract

We experimentally investigate the interaction between one and two atoms and the field of a high-finesse optical resonator. Laser-cooled caesium atoms are transported into the cavity using an optical dipole trap. We monitor the interaction dynamics of a single atom strongly coupled to the resonator mode for several hundred milliseconds by observing the cavity transmission. Moreover, we investigate the position-dependent coupling of one and two atoms by shuttling them through the cavity mode. We demonstrate an alternative method, which suppresses heating effects, to analyze the atom-field interaction by retrieving the atom from the cavity and by measuring its final state.