EIT-control of single-atom motion in an optical cavity

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates efficient cooling of a single atom's motion inside an optical cavity using EIT-like interference, paving the way for advanced photonic interfaces with single atoms.

Contribution

It introduces a novel EIT-based cooling method for single atoms in optical cavities, with experimental validation and comparison to free-space EIT cooling.

Findings

Successful cooling of single-atom vibrational motion in a cavity.

Qualitative agreement with theoretical models.

Confirmation of the cavity's role in cooling dynamics.

Abstract

We demonstrate cooling of the motion of a single atom confined by a dipole trap inside a high-finesse optical resonator. Cooling of the vibrational motion results from EIT-like interference in an atomic \Lambda-type configuration, where one transition is strongly coupled to the cavity mode and the other is driven by an external control laser. Good qualitative agreement with the theoretical predictions is found for the explored parameter ranges. The role of the cavity in the cooling dynamics is confirmed by means of a direct comparison with EIT-cooling performed in the dipole trap in free space. These results set the basis to the realization of an efficient photonic interface based on single atoms.