We present a novel experimental tool allowing for kinematically complete studies of break-up processes of laser-cooled atoms. This apparatus, the MOTReMi, is a combination of a magneto-optical trap (MOT) and a Reaction Microscope (ReMi). Operated in
an ion-storage ring, the new setup enables to study the dynamics in swift ion-atom collisions on an unprecedented level of precision and detail. In first experiments on collisions with 1.5 MeV/amu O$^{8+}$-Li the pure ionization of the valence electron as well as ionization-excitation of the lithium target has been investigated.
This is a scientific strategy for the detection and characterization of extrasolar planets; that is, planets orbiting other stars. As such, it maps out over a 15-year horizon the techniques and capabilities required to detect and measure the properti
es of planets as small as Earth around stars as large as our own Sun. It shows how the technology pieces and their development fit together to achieve the primary goal of the strategy: if planets like Earth exist around stars within some tens of light years of our own Solar System, those planets will be found and their basic properties characterized. Essential to this strategy is not only the search for and examination of individual planets, but also a knowledge of the arrangement, or architecture, of planetary systems around as large a number of stars as possible; this is the second goal of the strategy. The final goal of the strategy is the study of disks around stars, important both to understand the implications of the variety of exoplanet systems for planet formation, and to determine how many nearby stars have environments around them clean enough of debris that planets may be sought and, if found, characterized.
We describe a robust and reliable fluorescence detector for single atoms that is fully integrated into an atom chip. The detector allows spectrally and spatially selective detection of atoms, reaching a single atom detection efficiency of 66%. It con
sists of a tapered lensed single-mode fiber for precise delivery of excitation light and a multi-mode fiber to collect the fluorescence. The fibers are mounted in lithographically defined holding structures on the atom chip. Neutral 87Rb atoms propagating freely in a magnetic guide are detected and the noise of their fluorescence emission is analyzed. The variance of the photon distribution allows to determine the number of detected photons / atom and from there the atom detection efficiency. The second order intensity correlation function of the fluorescence shows near-perfect photon anti-bunching and signs of damped Rabi-oscillations. With simple improvements one can boost the detection efficiency to > 95%.
