Cavity optomechanics with cold atoms

Understand

The mechanical influence on objects due to their interaction with light has been a central topic in atomic physics for decades.

• Thus, one finds that many concepts developed to describe cavity optomechanical systems with solid-state mechanical oscillators have also been developed in parallel in relation to cold atomic physics.
• I describe several of these ideas from atomic physics, including optical methods for detecting quantum states of single cold atoms and atomic ensembles, motional effects within single-atom cavity quantum electrodynamics, and collective optical effects such as superradiant Rayleigh scattering and cavity cooling of atomic ensembles.
• I present several experimental realizations of cavity optomechanics in which an atomic ensemble serves as the mechanical element.