Single atoms in a far-detuned dipole trap in cavity-QED

Report on the experimental progress towards storing and observing a single atom in the dipole trap is given. In the setup, the near-resonant weak light field is used to detect the atom within the cavity. On detection of an atom in the cavity, the far-detuned light field is switched on to trap the atom in the cavity-mode. The two light fields are spatially separated with an optical grating and each is focused on a separate photodetector. The transmission of the near-resonant probe-field versus time showing a single trapping event is also reported. This atom stays within the cavity for 25 ms. The autocorrelation of the transmitted photons for correlation times up to 30 μs is described, showing the axial oscillation at approximately 300 kHz. The observed autocorrelation of the transmitted photons for correlation times up to 1.5 ms showed the radial oscillation at approximately 3 kHz.