9301571 Raizen This program will investigate atom-field interactions with trapped ions using a novel linear rf ion trap. This trap, combined with laser cooling techniques, will allow high accuracy in spectroscopic studies of trapped ions. The spectroscopy will be used to study a broad range of experiments in fundamental physics including interference of the fluorescence from two atoms, collective behavior of atoms in an optical cavity, and single and several atom optical bistability. Possible extensions to conditional quantum measurements will be considered. The long term goal of the proposed research is an experimental study of single atom optical bistability.
