Optical absorption microscopy of localized atoms at microwave domain: two-dimensional localization based on the projection of three-dimensional localization.

A new approach for achieving two – dimensional (2D) atom localization microscopy based on the projection of three – dimensional (3D) localization in the plane of the detector is described in the present work. Spatial variation of the position-dependent 2D-localization pattern in the xy-plane is obtained with the shifting of the position of the detector along the z-axis under the parallel- and cross- axis configurations of the standing-wave fields. An attempt is made to study the 2D-localization characteristics in the specific parametric conditions for which the localization structures evolve with different shapes eventually leading to 100% detection probability of the atom both in the sub-wavelength and sub-half-wavelength regimes. The scope of tuning the cross-axis configuration over a wide range adds novelty and robustness to this model. Apart from the 2D-localization, various localization patterns with eight- to single-peak structures appear as interesting outcomes through the efficient manipulation of control parameters in the study of one-dimensional (1D) atom localization. The application of the traveling-wave field or its equivalent appears to be unique in achieving high-precision localization with maximal probability (100%) in both the 1D and 2D field-configuration schemes. Proper tuning of the traveling wave accompanied by the standing wave in the 1D scheme results in the single-peak localization in the sub-half-wavelength range. As a whole, the present work seems to be very much efficient for high-precision optical lithography.