Superresolution Microscopy of Optical Fields Using Tweezer-Trapped Single Atoms

Precise, super-resolving intensity measurement by quantum jump spectroscopy of a single neutral atom

“…Finally, the 1 → 2 transition has a very small tensor susceptibility. Together, these features greatly simplify the interpretation of spectra, relative to earlier methods [6,7,10].…”

“…Individual trapped ions and neutral atoms can be positioned with sub-micrometer precision, and have been used to detect a variety of environmental perturbations, including static [1] and oscillating [2] magnetic fields, static electric fields [3], and microwaves [4]. Measurement of optical intensity, which in many scenarios varies on micrometer scales, is a natural application for such sensors [5,6]. Sub-wavelength (a.k.a.…”

“…Sub-wavelength (a.k.a. super-resolving) measurement of both resonant [5] and off-resonant light [6,7] have been demonstrated. Single atoms and ions are also ideal for metrology referenced to unchanging atomic properties, e.g., polarizabilites that can be calculated with high precision [8,9].…”

“…Off-resonance light, which for any given atom constitutes the vast majority of the optical spectrum, can be detected by the ac Stark shifts it produces on observable spectral lines. For example, single neutral 87 Rb atoms in far-off-resonance traps (FORTs) have been used to quantify ac Stark shifts by monitoring fluorescence on the F = 2 → F = 3 cooling transition of the D 2 line [6,7,10]. While this strong, closed transition is convenient, it is not naturally suited for precision measurement because it, like other strong closed transitions, has large vector and tensor polarizabilities.…”

Fast non-destructive cavity readout of single atoms within a coherent atom array

“…Our experimental setup is described in Ref. [21]. Briefly, a bulk optically trapped gas of ultracold 87 Rb atoms is prepared near the volume of a horizontalaxis, near-concentric in-vacuum Fabry-Pérot optical cavity with a mirror spacing of 9.4 mm.…”