Atom-Light Interactions in Photonic Crystals

Abstract

The integration of nanophotonics and atomic physics has been a long-sought goal that would open new frontiers for optical physics, including novel quantum transport and many-body phenomena with photon-mediated atomic interactions. Reaching this goal requires surmounting diverse challenges in nanofabrication and atomic manipulation. Here we report the development of a novel integrated optical circuit with a photonic crystal capable of both localizing and interfacing atoms with guided photons. Optical bands of a photonic crystal waveguide are aligned with selected atomic transitions. From reflection spectra measured with average atom number N = 1.1 ± 0.4, we infer that atoms are localized within the waveguide by optical dipole forces. The fraction of single-atom radiative decay into the waveguide is Γ_(1D)/Γ'≃(0.32±0.08), where Γ_(1D) is the rate of emission into the guided mode and Γ' is the decay rate into all other channels. Γ_(1D)/Γ′ is unprecedented in all current atom–photon interfaces.

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