No Arabic abstract
Tailoring the interactions between quantum emitters and single photons constitutes one of the cornerstones of quantum optics. Coupling a quantum emitter to the band edge of a photonic crystal waveguide (PCW) provides a unique platform for tuning these interactions. In particular, the crossover from propagating fields $E(x) propto e^{pm ik_x x}$ outside the bandgap to localized fields $E(x) propto e^{-kappa_x |x|}$ within the bandgap should be accompanied by a transition from largely dissipative atom-atom interactions to a regime where dispersive atom-atom interactions are dominant. Here, we experimentally observe this transition for the first time by shifting the band edge frequency of the PCW relative to the $rm D_1$ line of atomic cesium for $bar{N}=3.0pm 0.5$ atoms trapped along the PCW. Our results are the initial demonstration of this new paradigm for coherent atom-atom interactions with low dissipation into the guided mode.
Experiments and numerical simulations are described that develop quantitative understanding of atomic motion near the surfaces of nanoscopic photonic crystal waveguides (PCWs). Ultracold atoms are delivered from a moving optical lattice into the PCW. Synchronous with the moving lattice, transmission spectra for a guided-mode probe field are recorded as functions of lattice transport time and frequency detuning of the probe beam. By way of measurements such as these, we have been able to validate quantitatively our numerical simulations, which are based upon detailed understanding of atomic trajectories that pass around and through nanoscopic regions of the PCW under the influence of optical and surface forces. The resolution for mapping atomic motion is roughly 50 nm in space and 100 ns in time. By introducing auxiliary guided mode (GM) fields that provide spatially varying AC-Stark shifts, we have, to some degree, begun to control atomic trajectories, such as to enhance the flux into to the central vacuum gap of the PCW at predetermined times and with known AC-Stark shifts. Applications of these capabilities include enabling high fractional filling of optical trap sites within PCWs, calibration of optical fields within PCWs, and utilization of the time-dependent, optically dense atomic medium for novel nonlinear optical experiments.
Optical waveguides in the form of glass fibers are the backbone of global telecommunication networks. In such optical fibers, the light is guided over long distances by continuous total internal reflection which occurs at the interface between the fiber core with a higher refractive index and the lower index cladding. Although this mechanism ensures that no light escapes from the waveguide, it gives rise to an evanescent field in the cladding. While this field is protected from interacting with the environment in standard optical fibers, it is routinely employed in air- or vacuum-clad fibers in order to efficiently couple light fields to optical components or emitters using, e.g., tapered optical fiber couplers. Remarkably, the strong confinement imposed by the latter can lead to significant coupling of the lights spin and orbital angular momentum. Taking advantage of this effect, we demonstrate the controlled directional spontaneous emission of light by quantum emitters into a sub-wavelength-diameter waveguide. The effect is investigated in a paradigmatic setting, comprising cesium atoms which are located in the vicinity of a vacuum-clad silica nanofiber. We experimentally observe an asymmetry higher than 10:1 in the emission rates into the counterpropagating fundamental guided modes of the nanofiber. Moreover, we demonstrate that this asymmetry can be tailored by state preparation and suitable excitation of the quantum emitters. We expect our results to have important implications for research in nanophotonics and quantum optics and for implementations of integrated optical signal processing in the classical as well as in the quantum regime.
We propose a novel platform for the investigation of quantum wave packet dynamics, offering a complementary approach to existing theoretical models and experimental systems. It relies on laser-cooled neutral atoms which orbit around an optical nanofiber in an optical potential produced by a red-detuned guided light field. We show that the atomic center-of-mass motion exhibits genuine quantum effects like collapse and revival of the atomic wave packet. As distinctive advantages, our approach features a tunable dispersion relation as well as straightforward readout for the wave packet dynamics and can be implemented using existing quantum optics techniques.
We propose a nanophotonic platform for topological quantum optics. Our system is composed of a two-dimensional lattice of non-linear quantum emitters with optical transitions embedded in a photonic crystal slab. The emitters interact through the guided modes of the photonic crystal, and a uniform magnetic field gives rise to large topological band gaps and an almost completely flat topological band. Topological edge states arise on the boundaries of the system that are protected by the large gap against missing lattice sites and to the inhomogeneous broadening of emitters. These results pave the way for exploring topological many-body states in quantum optical systems.
We propose the use of photonic crystal structures to design subwavelength optical lattices in two dimensions for ultracold atoms by using both Guided Modes and Casimir-Polder forces. We further show how to use Guided Modes for photon-induced large and strongly long-range interactions between trapped atoms. Finally, we analyze the prospects of this scheme to implement spin models for quantum simulation