0000000000049686
AUTHOR
Arno Rauschenbeutel
Quantum transport of single neutral atoms
The state-selective (quantum) transport of single neutral atoms stored in a one dimensional optical lattice is a promising technique to implement controlled atomic interaction using coherent cold collisions. This is required in several schemes of quantum information processing. Here, we present a technical implementation of the quantum transport scheme for one, two and more caesium atoms, as well as the manipulation and detection of their internal states.
Dispersive optical interface based on nanofiber-trapped atoms.
We dispersively interface an ensemble of one thousand atoms trapped in the evanescent field surrounding a tapered optical nanofiber. This method relies on the azimuthally-asymmetric coupling of the ensemble with the evanescent field of an off-resonant probe beam, transmitted through the nanofiber. The resulting birefringence and dispersion are significant; we observe a phase shift per atom of $\sim$\,1\,mrad at a detuning of six times the natural linewidth, corresponding to an effective resonant optical density per atom of 0.027. Moreover, we utilize this strong dispersion to non-destructively determine the number of atoms.
Design and optimization of broadband tapered optical fibers with a nanofiber waist
The control over the transmission properties of tapered optical fibers (TOFs) is an important requirement for a whole range of applications. Using a carefully designed flame pulling process that allows us to realize preset fiber radius profiles, we fabricate TOFs with a nanofiber waist. We study the spectral transmission properties of these TOFs as a function of the taper profile and the waist length and show how the transmission band of the TOF can be tuned via different fiber profile parameters. Based on these results, we have designed a nanofiber-waist TOF with broadband transmission for surface spectroscopy of organic molecules. Moreover, our method allows us to analyze the loss mechani…
A single photon source based on NV centers in diamond nanocrystals
The development of reliable devices to generate single photons is crucial for applications in quantum cryptography, as well as for fundamental quantum optics experiments. Due to their extremely high photostability at room temperature, optically active defects in solids, the so called color centers, are among the most promising candidates. Single NV(nitrogen-vacancy) centers in diamond have been demonstrated to be able to generate single photons and have already shown advantages compared to attenuated laser pulses in a quantum cryptography experiment [1]. The nitrogen-vacancy center (NV center) in diamond consists of a substitutional nitrogen atom and an adjacent vacancy. This complex exhibi…
Ultrahigh-Q Tunable Whispering-Gallery-Mode Microresonator
Typical microresonators exhibit a large frequency spacing between resonances and a limited tunability. This impedes their use in a large class of applications which require a resonance of the microcavity to coincide with a predetermined frequency. Here, we experimentally overcome this limitation with highly prolate-shaped whispering-gallery-mode "bottle microresonators" fabricated from standard optical glass fibers. Our resonators combine an ultra-high quality factor of 360 million, a small mode volume, and near lossless fibre coupling, characteristic of whispering-gallery-mode resonators, with a simple and customizable mode structure enabling full tunability.
Ultra-sensitive fluorescence spectroscopy of isolated surface-adsorbed molecules using an optical nanofiber.
The strong radial confinement and the pronounced evanescent field of the guided light in optical nanofibers yield favorable conditions for ultra-sensitive surface spectroscopy of molecules deposited on the fiber. Using the guided mode of the nanofiber for both excitation and fluorescence collection, we present spectroscopic measurements on 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride molecules (PTCDA) at ambient conditions. Surface coverages as small as 1 per thousand of a compact monolayer still give rise to fluorescence spectra with a good signal to noise ratio. Moreover, we analyze and quantify the self-absorption effects due to reabsorption of the emitted fluorescence light by circumjac…
Eine Flasche für Licht
Physikern der Universitat Mainz ist es gelungen, einen Speicher fur Licht zu realisieren, der bislang unvereinbare Eigenschaften aufweist: Er besteht nur aus einem einzelnen Bauelement und speichert Licht beliebiger Farben in einem mikroskopischen Volumen fur extrem lange Zeit.
Ein Quanten‐Abakus aus Licht und Atomen. Manipulation von neutralen Atomen
In mit Laserlicht erzeugten periodischen Mikropotentialen lassen sich einzelne neutrale Atome fangen. Durch Navigation der Laserstrahlen lassen sie sich zu gleichmasigen Ketten anordnen. Solche Neutralatom-Register eignen sich sehr gut zur Speicherung und Manipulation von Quanteninformation. Insbesondere lassen sich durch eine Kombination von Mikrowellen und Magnetfeldern die Atome des Registers selektiv mit Quanteninformation beschreiben. Daruber hinaus konnten durch Prazisionsmanipulation zwei Atome in demselben Mikropotential zusammengefuhrt werden. So konnte erstmals deterministisch eine Wechselwirkung zwischen individuellen Neutralatomen induziert werden.
Controlled insertion and retrieval of atoms coupled to a high-finesse optical resonator
We experimentally investigate the interaction between one and two atoms and the field of a high-finesse optical resonator. Laser-cooled caesium atoms are transported into the cavity using an optical dipole trap. We monitor the interaction dynamics of a single atom strongly coupled to the resonator mode for several hundred milliseconds by observing the cavity transmission. Moreover, we investigate the position-dependent coupling of one and two atoms by shuttling them through the cavity mode. We demonstrate an alternative method, which suppresses heating effects, to analyze the atom-field interaction by retrieving the atom from the cavity and by measuring its final state.
Optical interface created by laser-cooled atoms trapped in the evanescent field surrounding an optical nanofiber.
Trapping and optically interfacing laser-cooled neutral atoms is an essential requirement for their use in advanced quantum technologies. Here we simultaneously realize both of these tasks with cesium atoms interacting with a multi-color evanescent field surrounding an optical nanofiber. The atoms are localized in a one-dimensional optical lattice about 200 nm above the nanofiber surface and can be efficiently interrogated with a resonant light field sent through the nanofiber. Our technique opens the route towards the direct integration of laser-cooled atomic ensembles within fiber networks, an important prerequisite for large scale quantum communication schemes. Moreover, it is ideally su…
Bottle microresonator with actively stabilized evanescent coupling
The evanescent coupling of light between a whispering-gallery-mode bottle microresonator and a sub-wavelength-diameter coupling fiber is actively stabilized by means of a Pound-Drever-Hall technique. We demonstrate the stabilization of a critically coupled resonator with a control bandwidth of 0.1 Hz, yielding a residual transmission of (9 \pm 3) \times 10^-3 for more than an hour. Simultaneously, the frequency of the resonator mode is actively stabilized.
Controlled insertion of one and two atoms into a high-finesse optical cavity
Entangled quantum states have applications as a model system for strongly correlated many body states, as resource for quantum information processing and as a tool for enhanced precision measurements. Deterministic entanglement schemes create the desired state by transferring the system under the action of a carefully chosen Hamiltonian into an entangled state. The system must follow a unitary evolution, and uncontrolled parasitic interactions with the environment leading to spontaneous decay or partial measurements of the state have to be avoided. The paper present an experiment, on loading a chosen number of Doppler-cooled caesium atoms from a magneto-optical trap into a standing wave opt…
Experiments with a fiber-based optical dipole trap for cold Cs-Atoms
Pulling a standard optical fiber to a diameter of less than the wavelength of the guided light causes the light field to project slightly over the fiber boundaries in form of an evanescent wave. The latter can be used for light-matter-interactions in the vicinity of the surface of the fiber and therefore allows to perform quantum optic experiments.
Nanofiber-based optical trapping of cold neutral atoms
We present experimental techniques and results related to the optimization and characterization of our nanofiber-based atom trap [Vetsch et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 203603 (2010)]. The atoms are confined in an optical lattice which is created using a two-color evanescent field surrounding the optical nanofiber. For this purpose, the polarization state of the trapping light fields has to be properly adjusted. We demonstrate that this can be accomplished by analyzing the light scattered by the nanofiber. Furthermore, we show that loading the nanofiber trap from a magneto-optical trap leads to sub-Doppler temperatures of the trapped atomic ensemble and yields a sub-Poissonian distribution of…
All-optical signal processing at ultra-low powers in bottle microresonators using the Kerr effect.
We present experimental results on nonlinear, ultra-low power photonics applications based on a silica whispering-gallery-mode microresonator. Our bottle microresonator combines an ultrahigh quality factor of Q10(8) with a small mode volume V. The resulting Q(2)/V-ratio is among the highest realized for optical microresonators and allows us to observe bistable behavior at very low powers. We report single-wavelength all-optical switching via the Kerr effect at a record-low threshold of 50 microW. Moreover, an advantageous mode geometry enables the coupling of two tapered fiber waveguides to a bottle mode in an add-drop configuration. This allows us to route a CW optical signal between both …