Quantum jumps and spin dynamics of interacting atoms in a strongly coupled atom-cavity system

TL;DR

This paper experimentally studies the spin dynamics and quantum jumps of one and two neutral atoms in a strongly coupled optical cavity, revealing interaction effects and potential for entanglement schemes.

Contribution

It demonstrates the observation of quantum jumps, normal mode splitting, and conditional dynamics in a strongly coupled atom-cavity system, advancing quantum control techniques.

Findings

Quantum jumps between hyperfine states observed

Normal mode splitting measured via atomic excitation

Evidence for conditional two-atom dynamics

Abstract

We experimentally investigate the spin dynamics of one and two neutral atoms strongly coupled to a high finesse optical cavity. We observe quantum jumps between hyperfine ground states of a single atom. The interaction-induced normal mode splitting of the atom-cavity system is measured via the atomic excitation. Moreover, we observe evidence for conditional dynamics of two atoms simultaneously coupled to the cavity mode. Our results point towards the realization of measurement-induced entanglement schemes for neutral atoms in optical cavities.