Interfacing light and single atoms with a lens

Abstract

We characterize the interaction between a single atom or similar microscopic system and a light field via the scattering ratio. For that, we first derive the electrical field in a strongly focused Gaussian light beam, and then consider the atomic response. Following the simple scattering model, the fraction of scattered optical power for a weak coherent probe field leads to unphysical scattering ratios above 1 in the strong focusing regime. A refined model considering interference between exciting and scattered field into finite-sized detectors or optical fibers is presented, and compared to experimental extinction measurements for various focusing strengths.

22 pages, 7 figures; we provide now a closed solution for field at focus and coupling to single mode optical fibers, and included interference between excitation and scattered light

References in corpus (7)

• Efficient coupling of photons to a single molecule and the observation of its resonance fluorescence
• Strong interaction between light and a single trapped atom without a cavity
• Perfect Reflection of Light by an Oscillating Dipole
• Remote preparation of an atomic quantum memory
• Strong extinction of a laser beam by a single molecule
• Design of a mode converter for efficient light-atom coupling in free space
• Plasmon spectra of nanospheres under a tightly focused beam

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Strong interaction between light and a single trapped atom without a cavity
• Phase shift of a weak coherent beam induced by a single atom
• On the analogy between a single atom and an optical resonator
• Enhanced Quantum Communication via Optical Refocusing
• Lenses as an Atom-Photon Interface: A Semiclassical Model