Abstract
An important aspect of the rapidly growing field of quantum atom optics is exploring the behavior of ultracold atoms at a deeper level than the mean field approximation, where the quantum properties of individual atoms becomes important. Major recent advances have been achieved with the creation and detection of reliable single-atom sources, which is a crucial tool for testing fundamental quantum processes. Here, we create a source comprised of a single ultracold metastable helium atom, which enables novel free-space quantum atom optics experiments to be performed with single massive particles with large de Broglie wavelengths.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 130403 |
Journal | Physical Review Letters |
Volume | 113 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 24 Sept 2014 |