We calculate exact three-dimensional solutions of Maxwell equations corresponding to strongly focused light beams, and study their interaction with a single atom in free space. We show how the naive picture of the atom as an absorber with a size given by its radiative cross section σ=3λ²/2π must be modified. The implications of these results for quantum-information-processing capabilities of trapped atoms are discussed.
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Enk et al. (2000) studied this question.
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