Spectroscopic detection of atom-surface interactions in an atomic-vapor layer with nanoscale thickness

Abstract. A nanometer-thin-cell (in the direction of laser beam propagation) has been elaborated with the thickness of the atomic vapor column varying smoothly in the range of L = 50 − 1500 nm. The cell allows one to study the behavior of the resonance absorption over the D 1 line of potassium atoms by varying the laser intensity and the cell thickness from L = λ/2 to L = 2λ with the step λ/2 (λ = 770 nm is the resonant wavelength of the laser). It is shown that despite the huge Doppler broadening (> 0.9 GHz at the cell temperature 170• C), at low laser intensities a narrowing of the resonance absorption spectrum is observed for L = λ/2 (∼ 120 MHz at FWHM) and L = 3/2λ, whereas for L = λ and L = 2λ the spectrum broadens. At moderate laser intensities narrowband velocity selective optical pumping (VSOP) resonances appear at L = λ and L = 2λ with the linewidth close to the natural one. A comparison with saturated absorption spectra obtained in a 1-cm-sized K cell is presented. The developed theoretical model well describes the experiment.

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“…Inserting formulas (8), (9), (12) to Eq. (11) one gets for the Doppler broadened absorption profile [29] 1…”

Section: Theoretical Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…5 caused by propagation of near-resonant light through a gas with L = λ/2 thickness with very high density [8]; 3) strong broadening and shifts of resonances, which become significant when thickness < 100 nm caused by atom-surface van der Waals interactions due to the tight confinement in the NTC [9][10][11][12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Collapse and revival of a Dicke-type coherent narrowing in potassium vapor confined in a nanometric thin cell

Sargsyan

Pashayan-Leroy

Leroy

et al. 2016

J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys.

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“…Previous work has demonstrated that mirror spacings as narrow as 110 nm were sufficient for atom injection, [42] and recent work has demonstrated vapor cells with critical dimensions as narrow as 30 nm. [48] In addition, since these hollow channels are formed by two Bragg reflectors, they can also act as optical waveguides, possibly useful for atom trapping. [49] A second strategy for open access is to use focused ion beam (FIB) milling to remove small portions of the top Bragg reflector.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Tunable open-access microcavities for on-chip cavity quantum electrodynamics

Potts

Melnyk

Ramp

et al. 2016

Applied Physics Letters

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We report on the development of on-chip microcavities and show their potential as a platform for cavity quantum electrodynamics experiments. Microcavity arrays were formed by the controlled buckling of SiO2/Ta2O5 Bragg mirrors, and exhibit a reflectance-limited finesse of 3500 and mode volumes as small as 35λ3 . We show that the cavity resonance can be thermally tuned into alignment with the D2 transition of 87 Rb, and outline two methods for providing atom access to the cavity. Owing to their small mode volume and high finesse, these cavities exhibit single-atom cooperativities as high as C1 = 65. A unique feature of the buckled-dome architecture is that the strong-coupling parameter g0/κ is nearly independent of the cavity size. Furthermore, strong coupling should be achievable with only modest improvements in mirror reflectance, suggesting that these monolithic devices could provide a robust and scalable solution to the engineering of light-matter interfaces.The implementation of a distributed quantum network could enable a global quantum communication system, [1,2] operations, [7,28] and to implement an elementary quantum network.[29] These works place single-atom quantum systems as a leading candidate for use in large-scale quantum networks. As a result, there is a strong interest in the integration of alkali atoms into robust, scalable, packaged optical cavities. [30,31] Furthermore, it is desirable for these optical cavities to have small mode volumes and be tunable to atomic transitions. [32][33][34] Here we report the development of 'buckled-dome' Fabry-Pérot microcavities designed for cQED applications, specifically on-chip coupling between single photons and single rubidium atoms. These cavities produce high single-atom cooperativities, can be easily tuned to atomic transitions, and can facilitate open-access for incorporation of atoms.The buckled-dome microcavities were fabricated via a monolithic self-assembly procedure. [35,36] First, a distributed Bragg reflector (10.5 periods SiO 2 /Ta 2 O 5 , starting and ending with Ta 2 O 5 ) was deposited on a fused silica substrate by reactive magnetron sputtering. Microcavities were defined by the lithographic patterning of a thin (∼15 nm) low-adhesion fluorocarbon layer, followed by the deposition of a second Bragg reflector identical to the initial reflector. Films with low loss and high compressive stress (∼200 MPa) were realized by using high target power (200 W), elevated substrate temperature (150• C), and low chamber pressure (4 mTorr).[37] Optical constants for single films were measured usarXiv:1601.03344v1 [cond-mat.mes-hall]

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“…Since most analytical treatments of quantum reflection rely on approximations, exact numerical efforts are needed to verify their regime of applicability. In parallel, matter-wave experiments enable tests of CasimirPolder interactions [19,[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32], that require quantitative simulations to bridge the gap between theory and experiment. A recent study investigates the effect of a periodically driven surface in one dimension [33] using a phenomenological atom-surface CasimirPolder interaction potential.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…the reflection of a quantum object in the absence of a classical turning point [1,2], has attracted an increasing number of studies, triggered by the developments in the field of matter-wave optics for a variety of experimental platforms [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two-dimensional simulation of quantum reflection

Galiffi¹,

Sünderhauf²,

DeKieviet³

et al. 2017

J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys.

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Abstract. A propagation method for the scattering of a quantum wave packet from a potential surface is presented. It is used to model the quantum reflection of single atoms from a corrugated (metallic) surface. Our numerical procedure works well in two spatial dimensions requiring only reasonable amounts of memory and computing time. The effects of the surface corrugation on the reflectivity are investigated via simulations with a paradigm potential. These indicate that our approach should allow for future tests of realistic, effective potentials obtained from theory in a quantitative comparison to experimental data.

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Spectroscopic detection of atom-surface interactions in an atomic-vapor layer with nanoscale thickness

Cited by 21 publications

References 59 publications

Collapse and revival of a Dicke-type coherent narrowing in potassium vapor confined in a nanometric thin cell

Collapse and revival of a Dicke-type coherent narrowing in potassium vapor confined in a nanometric thin cell

Tunable open-access microcavities for on-chip cavity quantum electrodynamics

Two-dimensional simulation of quantum reflection

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