Thermalization of a Trapped Single Atom with an Atomic Thermal Bath

Abstract

We studied a single atom trapped in an optical tweezer interacting with a thermal bath of ultracold atoms of a different species. Because of the collisions between the trapped atom and the bath atoms, the trapped atom undergoes changes in its vibrational states occupation to reach thermal equilibrium with the bath. By using Monte Carlo simulations, we characterized the single atom’s thermalization process, and we studied how this can be used for cooling. Our simulations demonstrate that, within known experimental limitations, it is feasible to cool a trapped single atom with a thermal bath.