We describe the preparation of Fock states of motion of cesium atoms trapped in potential wells of a far detuned optical lattice. Direct observation of the velocity distribution of the $|n=0\mathrm{}〉$ and $|n=1\mathrm{}〉$ Fock states is obtained by an absorption imaging technique.

• Received 18 September 1998

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.59.R8