Time-resolved Scattering of a Single Photon by a Single Atom

TL;DR

This paper experimentally investigates how the temporal shape of a single photon influences its scattering dynamics with a single atom, demonstrating that tailored photon envelopes can enhance atom excitation.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental demonstration that photon waveform shaping can control single-photon single-atom scattering processes.

Findings

Exponential rising photon profiles increase atomic excitation by 56%.

Photon envelope shaping enables precise control of photon-atom interactions.

Time-resolved measurements reveal the impact of photon waveform on scattering dynamics.

Abstract

Scattering of light by matter has been studied extensively in the past. Yet, the most fundamental process, the scattering of a single photon by a single atom, is largely unexplored [1-3]. One prominent prediction of quantum optics is the deterministic absorption of a traveling photon by a single atom, provided the photon waveform matches spatially and temporally the time-reversed version of a spontaneously emitted photon [4-12]. Here, we experimentally address this prediction and investigate the influence of the temporal profile of the photon on the scattering dynamics using a single trapped atom and heralded single photons. In a time-resolved measurement of the atomic excitation we find a 56(11)% increase of the peak excitation by photons with an exponentially rising profile compared to a decaying one. This result demonstrates that tailoring the envelope of single photons enables precise control of the photon-atom interaction.