Journal
NATURE PHYSICS
Volume 4, Issue 12, Pages 924-927Publisher
NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1096
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Funding
- Singapore Ministry of Education [R-144-000-174-112]
- Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore (A* STAR)
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Many quantum information processing protocols require efficient transfer of quantum information from a flying photon to a stationary quantum system(1-3). To transfer information, a photon must first be absorbed by the quantum system. This can be achieved, with a probability close to unity, by an atom residing in a high-finesse cavity(1). However, it is unclear whether a photon can be absorbed effectively by an atom in a free space. Here, we report on an observation of substantial extinction of a light beam by a single Rb-87 atom through focusing light to a small spot with a single lens. The measured extinction values can be directly compared to the predictions of existing free-space photon-atom coupling models(4-6). Our result should open a new perspective on processing quantum information carried by light using atoms, in particular for experiments that require strong absorption of single photons by an atom in free space.
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