| Zugriffsnummer | 28663 |
| Dokumenttyp | Zeitschriftenartikel |
| Peer Review | unbekannt |
| Sprache | Englisch |
| Titel | Quantum to classical transition in a single-ion laser |
| Autor(in); Institution |
Dubin, Francois; Universität Innsbruck, Institut für Experimentalphysik, Innsbruck, AUSTRIA
Russo, Carlos; Universität Innsbruck, Institut für Experimentalphysik, Innsbruck, AUSTRIA
Barros, Helena G.; Universität Innsbruck, Institut für Experimentalphysik, Innsbruck, AUSTRIA
Stute, Andreas; Universität Innsbruck, Institut für Experimentalphysik, Innsbruck, AUSTRIA
Becher, Christoph; Universität Innsbruck, Institut für Experimentalphysik, Innsbruck, AUSTRIA
Schmidt, Piet O.; QUEST Institute for Experimental Quantum Metrology, PTB-Braunschweig
Blatt, Rainer; Universität Innsbruck, Institut für Experimentalphysik, Innsbruck, AUSTRIA
|
| Quelle/Jahr | Nature Physics: 6 (2010), 5, 350 - 353 |
| ISSN | 1745-2473 (PRINT) ; 1745-2481 (ONLINE) |
| DOI | |
| Verlag | Basingstoke: Nature Publishing Group |
| Zusammenfassung | The onset of lasing in a "classical" laser is marked by a threshold that can be characterized by a sharp increase in photon flux as a function of external pumping strength. The same is not necessarily true for a single trapped atom interacting with a single optical mode. "Quantum" lasers have shown thresholdless lasing in the regime of strong coupling between an atom and a radiation field, but the existence of a threshold has been predicted. Here, we demonstrate and characterize a single-atom laser with and without threshold behaviour by changing the strength of atom/light-field coupling. We observe the establishment of a laser threshold through the accumulation of photons in the optical mode even for a mean photon number substantially lower than for the classical case. Our observations mark an important step towards a fundamental understanding of laser operation in the few-atom limit including systems based on semiconductor quantum dots or molecules. |
