Nonlinear photon-atom coupling with 4Pi microscopy.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 29089501.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-017-01495-3 and PMC identifier 5663764.
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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.