Site-resolved imaging of single atoms with a Faraday quantum gas microscope

Abstract: We successfully demonstrate a quantum gas microscopy using the Faraday effect which has an inherently non-destructive nature. The observed Faraday rotation angle reaches 3.0(2) degrees for a single atom. We reveal the non-destructive feature of this Faraday imaging method by comparing the detuning dependence of the Faraday signal strength with that of the photon scattering rate. We determine the atom distribution with deconvolution analysis. We also demonstrate the absorption and the dark field Faraday imaging, and reveal the different shapes of the point spread functions for these methods, which are fully explained by theoretical analysis. Our result is an important first step towards an ultimate quantum non-demolition site-resolved imaging and furthermore opens up the possibilities for quantum feedback control of a quantum many-body system with a single-site resolution.