Absorption imaging of a single atom

Erik W. Streed, Andreas Jechow, Benjamin G. Norton and David Kielpinski ()
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Erik W. Streed: Centre for Quantum Dynamics, Griffith University
Andreas Jechow: Centre for Quantum Dynamics, Griffith University
Benjamin G. Norton: Centre for Quantum Dynamics, Griffith University
David Kielpinski: Centre for Quantum Dynamics, Griffith University

Nature Communications, 2012, vol. 3, issue 1, 1-5

Abstract: Abstract Absorption imaging has played a key role in the advancement of science from van Leeuwenhoek's discovery of red blood cells to modern observations of dust clouds in stellar nebulas and Bose–Einstein condensates. Here we show the first absorption imaging of a single atom isolated in a vacuum. The optical properties of atoms are thoroughly understood, so a single atom is an ideal system for testing the limits of absorption imaging. A single atomic ion was confined in an RF Paul trap and the absorption imaged at near wavelength resolution with a phase Fresnel lens. The observed image contrast of 3.1 (3)% is the maximum theoretically allowed for the imaging resolution of our set-up. The absorption of photons by single atoms is of immediate interest for quantum information processing. Our results also point out new opportunities in imaging of light-sensitive samples both in the optical and X-ray regimes.

Date: 2012
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1944

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