Resonator QED experiments with single 40Ca+ ions

Combining an optical resonator with an ion trap provides the possibility for QED experiments with single or few particles interacting with a single mode of the electro-magnetic field (Cavity-QED). In the present setup, fluctuations in the count rate on a time scale below 30 seconds were purely determined by the photon statistics due to finite emission and detection efficiency, whereas a marginal drift of the system was noticeable above 200 seconds. To find methods to increase the efficiency of the photon source, investigations were conducted and experimental improvements of the setup implemented in the frame of this thesis. Damping of the resonator field and coupling of ion and field were considered as the most important factors. To reduce the damping of the resonator field, a resonator with a smaller transmissivity of the output mirror was set up. The linear trap used in the experiment allows for the interaction of multiple ions with the resonator field, so that more than one photon may be emitted per pump pulse. This was investigated in this thesis with two ions coupled to the resonator. The cross correlation of the emitted photons was measured with the Hanbury Brown-Twiss method. (orig.)