Single-atom counting in a two-color magneto-optical trap

Observation of a single atom in a magneto-optical trap.

Fluorescence from Cs atoms in a magneto-optical trap is detected under conditions of very low atomic density. Discrete steps are observed in the fluorescent signal versus time and are associated with the arrival and departure of individual trapped atoms. Histograms of the frequency of occurrence of a given level of fluorescence exhibit a series of uniformly spaced peaks that are attributed to t...

Dynamics in a Two-Level Atom Magneto-Optical Trap

Constructing a Magneto-optical Trap for Cold Atom Trapping

Background-free fluorescence detection of cold atoms in a two-color magneto-optical trap.

A two-color magneto-optical trap (MOT) for trapping cesium (Cs) atoms is experimentally realized. This two-color MOT employs the radiation forces due to photon scattering from the Cs 6P(3/2) F' = 5 - 8S(1/2) F" = 4 excited-state transition, which replaced one pair of the three pairs of cooling/trapping laser beams operating on a single-photon red detuning to the Cs 6S(1/2) F = 4 - 6P(3/2) F' = ...

Forbidden transitions in a magneto-optical trap.

We report the first observation of a nondipole transition in an ultracold atomic vapor. We excite the 3P-4P electric quadrupole (E2) transition in 23Na confined in a magneto-optical trap, and we demonstrate its application to high-resolution spectroscopy by making the first measurement of the hyperfine structure of the 4P(1/2) level and extracting the magnetic dipole constant A=30.6+/-0.1 MHz. ...