Coherent control of an atomic collision in a cavity

Following a recent proposal by S. B. Zheng and G. C. Guo [Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 2392 (2000)], we report an experiment in which two Rydberg atoms crossing a nonresonant cavity are entangled by coherent energy exchange. The process, mediated by the virtual emission and absorption of a microwave photon,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2001-07, Vol.87 (3), p.037902-037902, Article 037902
Main Authors: Osnaghi, S, Bertet, P, Auffeves, A, Maioli, P, Brune, M, Raimond, J M, Haroche, S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ABSORPTION
ATOMS
DECAY
ENERGY TRANSFER
IMPACT PARAMETER
PHOTONS
Physics
PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
Quantum Physics
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Summary:Following a recent proposal by S. B. Zheng and G. C. Guo [Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 2392 (2000)], we report an experiment in which two Rydberg atoms crossing a nonresonant cavity are entangled by coherent energy exchange. The process, mediated by the virtual emission and absorption of a microwave photon, is characterized by a collision mixing angle 4 orders of magnitude larger than for atoms colliding in free space with the same impact parameter. The final entangled state is controlled by adjusting the atom-cavity detuning. This procedure, essentially insensitive to thermal fields and to photon decay, opens promising perspectives for complex entanglement manipulations.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/physrevlett.87.037902