3.2: Field ionization detection of laser cooled rubidium atoms with a single suspended carbon nanotube

Laser-cooled rubidium atoms are captured by the inhomogeneous electric field surrounding a single charged suspended carbon nanotube. The atom experiences an induced dipole attractive potential with a singular inverse square scaling. The ultimate fate of the captured atom is field ionization near the wall of the nanotube. Field ionization detection is fast, efficient, and position sensitive, and could become the detection method for a new generation of atom-nanotube traps.