Nonlinear photon-atom coupling with 4Pi microscopy

Yue-Sum Chin, Matthias Steiner and Christian Kurtsiefer ()
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Yue-Sum Chin: Centre for Quantum Technologies
Matthias Steiner: Centre for Quantum Technologies
Christian Kurtsiefer: Centre for Quantum Technologies

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-5

Abstract: Abstract Implementing nonlinear interactions between single photons and single atoms is at the forefront of optical physics. Motivated by the prospects of deterministic all-optical quantum logic, many efforts are currently underway to find suitable experimental techniques. Focusing the incident photons onto the atom with a lens yielded promising results, but is limited by diffraction to moderate interaction strengths. However, techniques to exceed the diffraction limit are known from high-resolution imaging. Here we adapt a super-resolution imaging technique, 4Pi microscopy, to efficiently couple light to a single atom. We observe 36.6(3)% extinction of the incident field, and a modified photon statistics of the transmitted field–indicating nonlinear interaction at the single-photon level. Our results pave the way to few-photon nonlinear optics with individual atoms in free space.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01495-3

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