Speaker: Hong Ming Lim , Physics PhD Graduate Student
Abstract: The 6s–5d electronic transition in neutral cesium atoms is a forbidden transition, and therefore has a narrow linewidth. This transition can be used in laser cooling to achieve a low Doppler temperature. One limitation of the conventional imaging method for atomic states through allowed transitions is the background light arising from the excitation laser scattered by surfaces and objects near the trapped atoms. Excited cesium atoms in the 5d state decay primarily through dipole-allowed transitions to intermediate states and emit photons at wavelengths longer than that of the excitation laser. This property can be used to perform background-free, state-selective fluorescence imaging, enabling higher fidelity and shorter imaging times. In this talk, I will present an overview of the experiments we are conducting to push the limits of high-fidelity, fast atomic state readout using this transition.