Decay interference induced high precision localization in a multilevel atom via controlled spontaneous emission

Abstract

A simple scheme for one-dimensional atom localization is proposed by employing a technique for the formation of the standing-wave regime using two unidirectional standing-wave fields. We consider a four-level atomic system similar to the one used by Paspalakis and Knight [Phys. Rev. Lett. 1998, 81, 293–296], with travelling-wave fields for the study of the phase control of emission in the presence of vacuum-induced interference between two spontaneous decay channels. In the present system precise position information of the atom can be achieved by measuring the frequency of spontaneous emission, which can be efficiently controlled by different system parameters and also by adjustment of the relative phase in the presence of the decay interference effect. The proposed scheme provides a potential technique to attain 100% detection probability of the atom in one wavelength range with generation of a sharp localization peak at low light level.

Keywords:

• four-level atom
• decay interference
• two unidirectional standing-wave fields
• high precision subwavelength atom localization
• 100% detection probability of the atom

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Corrigendum

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge Prof. Emmanuel Paspalakis and Prof. Jiahua Li for their valuable suggestions and encouragement. B.K. Dutta would like to thank the University Grants Commission, New Delhi, India for the financial assistance (Grant No. PSW-164/11-12) and dedicate his contribution in this article to the memory of his late grandmother.