Uncertainty Limited Atomic Position Measurement Using Optical Fields.

摘要

Methods for position measurement of moving atoms with ultrahigh spatial resolution have been developed, based on resonance imaging in a spatially varying potential with a steep gradient. Using a spatially light-shift due to an off-resonant focused optical field, spatial resolution of 200 nanometers, with a few percent linearity over several microns has been obtained. Centroids of narrow spatial features, which are created and probed in the experiments, are determined with an accuracy of +/-20 nanometers. Ultimately, with higher gradients and single atom detection, uncertainty principle limited spatial resolution of a few nanometers will be attainable. These methods will have novel applications in the characterization of atom-optical elements, and in the development of new methods of ultrahigh resolution neutral atom lithography. Position measurement, Atoms, Resonance imaging.