Berlin 2001 – scientific programme

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Q: Quantenoptik

Q 17: Poster: Cooling and Trapping

Q 17.16: Poster

Wednesday, April 4, 2001, 12:30–15:00, AT2

A conveyor belt for single atoms with light forces — •Martin Müller, Stefan Kuhr, Wolfgang Alt, Dominik Schrader, Victor Gomer, and Dieter Meschede — Institut für Angewandte Physik, Wegelerstr.8, 53115 Bonn

We demonstrate the preparation and controlled displacement of single cesium atoms in a standing wave optical dipole trap.

Single cesium atoms are collected from a background vapor by a magneto-optical trap (MOT) and cooled down to the doppler limit. These atoms are then transferred into a standing wave optical dipole trap overlapping with the MOT. By mutually detuning the frequencies of the laser beams with acousto-optical modulators the standing wave pattern can be moved, carrying the atoms along. This technique allows us to place the atoms in an electronically controlled way with micrometer precision. Displaced single atoms are detected in the dipole trap by illuminating them with resonant laser light and by collecting the fluorescence light with an appropriately displaced detector.