  Single atoms trapped in tightly focused optical dipole traps provide an
excellent experimental platform for quantum computing, precision measurement,
and fundamental physics research. In this work, we propose and demonstrate a
novel approach to enhancing the loading of single atoms by introducing a weak
ancillary dipole beam. The loading rate of single atoms in a dipole trap can be
significantly improved by only a few tens of microwatts of counter-propagating
beam. It was also demonstrated that multiple atoms could be loaded with the
assistance of a counter-propagating beam. By reducing the power requirements
for trapping single atoms and enabling the trapping of multiple atoms, our
method facilitates the extension of single-atom arrays and the investigation of
collective light-atom interactions.
