Optical control of the refractive index of a single atom

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates optical control of a single atom's refractive index using EIT, showing potential for all-optical switching with single photons and achieving a 20-fold increase in atom storage time.

Contribution

It presents the first experimental realization of EIT with a single atom in an optical cavity, highlighting control over atomic properties and enhanced atom storage times.

Findings

Modification of atomic dispersive and absorptive properties via control light.

Observation of a strong cooling effect at two-photon resonance.

Increase of atom storage time to about 16 seconds.

Abstract

We experimentally demonstrate the elementary case of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) with a single atom inside an optical cavity probed by a weak field. We observe the modification of the dispersive and absorptive properties of the atom by changing the frequency of a control light field. Moreover, a strong cooling effect has been observed at two-photon resonance, increasing the storage time of our atoms twenty-fold to about 16 seconds. Our result points towards all-optical switching with single photons.