TY - JOUR
T1 - Energy distribution and cooling of a single atom in an optical tweezer
AU - Tuchendler, C.
AU - Lance, A. M.
AU - Browaeys, A.
AU - Sortais, Y. R.P.
AU - Grangier, P.
PY - 2008/9/23
Y1 - 2008/9/23
N2 - We investigate experimentally the energy distribution of a single Rb87 atom trapped in a strongly focused dipole trap under various cooling regimes. Using two different methods to measure the mean energy of the atom, we show that the energy distribution of the radiatively cooled atom is close to thermal. We then demonstrate how to reduce the energy of the single atom, first by adiabatic cooling, and then by truncating the Boltzmann distribution of the single atom. This provides a nondeterministic way to prepare atoms at low micro-K temperatures, close to the ground state of the trapping potential.
AB - We investigate experimentally the energy distribution of a single Rb87 atom trapped in a strongly focused dipole trap under various cooling regimes. Using two different methods to measure the mean energy of the atom, we show that the energy distribution of the radiatively cooled atom is close to thermal. We then demonstrate how to reduce the energy of the single atom, first by adiabatic cooling, and then by truncating the Boltzmann distribution of the single atom. This provides a nondeterministic way to prepare atoms at low micro-K temperatures, close to the ground state of the trapping potential.
U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevA.78.033425
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevA.78.033425
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:53349146123
SN - 1050-2947
VL - 78
JO - Physical Review A - Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
JF - Physical Review A - Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
IS - 3
M1 - 033425
ER -