Abstract
We discuss the trapping of cold atoms within microscopic voids drilled perpendicularly through the axis of an optical waveguide. The dimensions of the voids considered are between 1 and 40 optical wavelengths. By simulating light transmission across the voids, we find that appropriate shaping of the voids can substantially reduce the associated loss of optical power. Our results demonstrate that the formation of an optical cavity around such a void could produce strong coupling between the atoms and the guided light. By bringing multiple atoms into a single void and exploiting collective enhancement, cooperativities ~400 or more should be achievable. The simulations are carried out using a finite difference time domain method. Methods for the production of such a void and the trapping of cold atoms within it are also discussed.
Highlights
We discuss the trapping of cold atoms within microscopic voids drilled perpendicularly through the axis of an optical waveguide
The introduction of cold atoms into microscopic holes in optical waveguides allows the integration of atomic components into otherwise purely photonic devices, with potential applications in sensing and quantum information processing[1,2]
While alternative techniques are available for coupling guided light to cold atoms — for example the use of tapered nanofibres[3,4,5] or hollow core fibres6–8 — microscopic holes offer a unique set of advantages that make them ideally suited for certain applications
Summary
We discuss the trapping of cold atoms within microscopic voids drilled perpendicularly through the axis of an optical waveguide. With a specific application in mind, i.e. the interaction of photons with Caesium atoms, we consider the case of 852 nm light (resonant with the D2 line in Caesium) in a waveguide whose refractive index profile matches a commercial optical fibre (Thorlabs 780 HP), as a representative example for a typical singlemode optical www.nature.com/scientificreports mode overlap trans.
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