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arXiv · 1411.5812

A double-well atom trap for fluorescence detection at the Heisenberg limit

Ion Stroescu·David B. Hume·Markus K. Oberthaler
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Abstract

We experimentally demonstrate an atom number detector capable of simultaneous detection of two mesoscopic ensembles with single-atom resolution. Such a sensitivity is a prerequisite for quantum metrology at a precision approaching the Heisenberg limit. Our system is based on fluorescence detection of atoms in a novel hybrid trap in which a dipole barrier divides a magneto-optical trap into two separated wells. We introduce a noise model describing the various sources contributing to the measurement error and report a limit of up to 500 atoms for single-atom resolution in the atom number difference.

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Ion Stroescu, David B. Hume, Markus K. Oberthaler. 2015-01-07. A double-well atom trap for fluorescence detection at the Heisenberg limit. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreva.91.013412

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