Laser-cooled atoms coupled to nanophotonic structures constitute a powerful research platform for the exploration of new regimes of light-matter interaction. While the initialization of the atomic internal degrees of freedom in these systems has been achieved, a full preparation of the atomic quantum state also requires controlling the center of mass motion of the atoms at the quantum level. Obtaining such control is not straightforward, due to the close vicinity of the atoms to the photonic system that is at ambient temperature. Here, we demonstrate cooling of individual neutral Cesium atoms, that are optically interfaced with light in an optical nanofiber, preparing them close to their three-dimensional motional ground state. The atoms are localized less than 300 nm away from the hot fiber surface. Ground-state preparation is achieved by performing degenerate Raman cooling, and the atomic temperature is inferred from the analysis of heterodyne fluorescence spectroscopy signals. Our cooling method can be implemented either with externally applied or guided light fields. Moreover, it relies on polarization gradients which naturally occur for strongly confined guided optical fields. Thus, this method can be implemented in any trap based on nanophotonic structures. Our results provide an ideal starting point for the study of novel effects such as lightinduced self-organization, the measurement of novel optical forces, and the investigation of heat transfer at the nanoscale using quantum probes. arXiv:1712.05749v1 [quant-ph]

We realize a mechanical analogue of the Dicke model, achieved by coupling the spin of individual neutral atoms to their quantized motion in an optical trapping potential. The atomic spin states play the role of the electronic states of the atomic ensemble considered in the Dicke model, and the in-trap motional states of the atoms correspond to the states of the electromagnetic field mode. The coupling between spin and motion is induced by an inherent polarization gradient of the trapping light fields, which leads to a spatially varying vector light shift. We experimentally show that our system reaches the ultra-strong coupling regime, i.e., we obtain a coupling strength which is a significant fraction of the trap frequency. Moreover, with the help of an additional light field, we demonstrate the insitu tuning of the coupling strength. Beyond its fundamental interest, the demonstrated one-to-one mapping between the physics of optically trapped cold atoms and the Dicke model paves the way for implementing protocols and applications that exploit extreme coupling strengths.The quantum Rabi model (QRM) describes the interaction of a two-level emitter with a single quantized mode of the electromagnetic field or, more generally, of a two-level system (TLS) with a bosonic mode. Together with its extension for an ensemble of emitters, i.e., the Dicke model (DM), it constitutes a cornerstone of quantum optics [1]. The physics predicted by the QRM and the DM strongly depends on the relative values of the mode frequency, ω, and the coupling strength between the TLS and the bosonic mode, g. For weak coupling, i.e., g/ω 1, the rotating wave approximation (RWA) applies. In this case, the QRM and the DM reduce to the Jaynes-Cummings and the Tavis-Cummings models, respectively. The RWA breaks down in the ultra-strong coupling regime (USC), i.e., for g/ω 0.1. When increasing the coupling strength further, one enters the deep-strong coupling regime (DSC) [2]. For such high values of g/ω, new phenomena are expected [3][4][5][6][7]. The existence of a quantum phase transition in the thermodynamic limit adds to the richness of the DM [8-10]. Furthermore, USC and DSC may enable novel protocols for quantum communication and quantum information processing [11][12][13].

Topological properties of crystals and quasicrystals is a subject of recent and growing interest. This Letter reports an experiment where, for certain quasicrystals, these properties can be directly retrieved from diffraction. We directly observe, using an interferometric approach, all of the topological invariants of finite-length Fibonacci chains in their diffraction pattern. We also quantitatively demonstrate the stability of these topological invariants with respect to structural disorder.

Optical microtraps provide a strong spatial confinement for laser-cooled atoms. They can, e.g., be realized with strongly focused trapping light beams or the optical near fields of nano-scale waveguides and photonic nanostructures. Atoms in such traps often experience strongly spatially varying AC Stark shifts which are proportional to the magnetic quantum number of the respective energy level. These inhomogeneous fictitious magnetic fields can cause a displacement of the trapping potential that depends on the Zeeman state. Hitherto, this effect was mainly perceived as detrimental. However, it also provides a means to probe and to manipulate the motional state of the atoms in the trap by driving transitions between Zeeman states. Furthermore, by applying additional real or fictitious magnetic fields, the state-dependence of the trapping potential can be controlled. Here, using laser-cooled atoms that are confined in a nanofiber-based optical dipole trap, we employ this control in order to tune the microwave coupling of motional quantum states. We record corresponding microwave spectra which allow us to infer the trap parameters as well as the temperature of the atoms. Finally, we reduce the mean number of motional quanta in one spatial dimension to n = 0.3 ± 0.1 by microwave sideband cooling. Our work shows that the inherent fictitious magnetic fields in optical microtraps expand the experimental toolbox for interrogating and manipulating cold atoms.

The interaction of a two-level system (TLS) with a single bosonic mode is one of the most fundamental processes in quantum optics. Microscopically, it is described by the quantum Rabi model (QRM). Here, we propose an implementation of this model based on single trapped cold atoms. The TLS is implemented using atomic Zeeman states, while the atom's vibrational states in the trap represent the bosonic mode. The coupling is mediated by a suitable fictitious magnetic field pattern. We show that all important system parameters, i.e., the emitter-field detuning and the coupling strength of the emitter to the mode, can be tuned over a wide range. Remarkably, assuming realistic experimental conditions, our approach allows one to explore the regimes of ultra-strong coupling, deep strong coupling, and dispersive deep strong coupling. The states of the bosonic mode and the TLS can be prepared and read out using standard cold-atom techniques. Moreover, we show that our scheme enables the implementation of important generalizations, namely, the driven QRM, the QRM with quadratic coupling as well as the case of many TLSs coupled to one mode (Dicke model). The proposed cold-atom based implementation will facilitate experimental studies of a series of phenomena predicted for the QRM in extreme, so far unexplored physical regimes. arXiv:1706.07781v1 [quant-ph]

We report on high-resolution optical spectroscopy of interacting bosonic 174 Yb atoms in deep optical lattices with negligible tunneling. We prepare Mott insulator phases with singly-and doubly-occupied isolated sites and probe the atoms using an ultra-narrow 'clock' transition. Atoms in singly-occupied sites undergo long-lived Rabi oscillations. Atoms in doubly-occupied sites are strongly affected by interatomic interactions, and we measure their inelastic decay rates and energy shifts. We deduce from these measurements all relevant collisional parameters involving both clock states, in particular the intra-and inter-state scattering lengths.

We describe Doppler spectroscopy of Bose-Einstein condensates of ytterbium atoms using a narrow optical transition. We address the optical clock transition around 578 nm between the 1 S0 and 3 P0 states with a laser system locked on a high-finesse cavity. We show how the absolute frequency of the cavity modes can be determined within a few tens of kHz using high-resolution spectroscopy on molecular iodine. We show that optical spectra reflect the velocity distribution of expanding condensates in free fall or after releasing them inside an optical waveguide. We demonstrate subkHz spectral linewidths, with long-term drifts of the resonance frequency well below 1 kHz/hour. These results open the way to high-resolution spectroscopy of many-body systems.

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