A state-insensitive nanofiber trap

POSTER

Abstract

The development of quantum interface using cold atoms and optical fibers has been an active field of research. Following the pioneering work of Balykin et al [1] and Vetsch et al. [2], we realize trapping cesium atoms using a state-insensitive evanescent wave around a nanofiber [3]. By using the magic wavelengths, we remove the differential scalar light shift between the ground and excited states. The vector light shift induced by a forward-propagating wave is canceled by a backward-propagating wave. We measure the transmission spectrum of 200 trapped atoms, and obtain a resonant optical depth of 15 at a storage time of 1.5 ms, decaying to an optical depth of 1.0 after 300ms. The state-insensitivity is demonstrated by the measured linewidth of 5.6 MHz, similar to the natural linewidth of 5.2 MHz in free space. Our scheme provides a promising approach to trap and probe neutral atoms in a nanofiber trap with long coherence lifetimes using realistic parameters. [1] V. I. Balykin et al. Phys. Rev. Lett., 60, 2137 (1988). [2] E. Vetsch et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 104, 203603 (2010). [3] C. Lacroute et al., arXiv:1110.5372.

*This work is supported by the DoD NSSEFF program, by NSF Grant PHY-0652914, and by the Institute for Quantum Information and Matter.

Authors

  • A. Goban

    • Norman Bridge Laboratory of Physics 12-33 California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA

  • K.S. Choi

    • Norman Bridge Laboratory of Physics 12-33 California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA

  • D. Ding

    • Norman Bridge Laboratory of Physics 12-33 California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA

  • M. Pototschnig

    • Norman Bridge Laboratory of Physics 12-33 California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA

  • J.A.M. Silva

    • Norman Bridge Laboratory of Physics 12-33 California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA

  • Chen-Lung Hung

    • Norman Bridge Laboratory of Physics 12-33 California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA

  • D.J. Alton

    • Norman Bridge Laboratory of Physics 12-33 California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA

  • C. Lacroute

    • Norman Bridge Laboratory of Physics 12-33 California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA

  • P. Forn-Diaz

    • Norman Bridge Laboratory of Physics 12-33 California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA

  • N.P. Stern

    • Norman Bridge Laboratory of Physics 12-33 California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA

  • H. Jeff Kimble

    • Norman Bridge Laboratory of Physics 12-33 California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA