Three-dimensional atom localization with high-precision and high-resolution via a microwave field in an atomic system

A scheme for three-dimensional (3D) atom localization with high-precision and high-resolution is proposed and its control is studied in a four-level atomic system driven by an additional microwave field. Because of the spatial dependent interaction between atoms and standing wave fields, the atoms can be localized in a domain with widths as small as 0.014 lambda by appropriately adjusting the system parameters. The probe absorption spectrum of the atomic system gives the position information of the atoms and different evolution patterns of the localization structures in this study. The population distribution and its 3D localization structures can be easily adjusted by parameters of the microwave field, which can achieve a 100% probability of observing the atom in a specific space and the accuracy with the value of 0.014 lambda. Compared with 1D or 2D localizations, 3D localization can further improve the precision of position measurement and develop its spatial resolution, which may produce a wider variety of practical applications with high precision requirement.