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arXiv:2507.12827

Towards a fictitious magnetic field trap for both ground and Rydberg state $^{87}$Rb atoms via the evanescent field of an optical nanofibre

Alexey Vylegzhanin, Dylan Brown, Danil Kornovan, E. Brion, Síle Nic Chormaic

Published Jul 17, 2025• 1 citation
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Cold Rydberg atoms, known for their long lifetimes and strong dipole-dipole interactions that lead to the Rydberg blockade phenomenon, are among the most promising platforms for quantum simulations, quantum computation and quantum networks. However, a major limitation to the performance of Rydberg atom-based platforms is dephasing, which can be caused by atomic motion within the trap. Here, we propose a trap for $^{87}$Rb cold atoms that confines both the electronic ground state and a Rydberg state, engineered to minimize the differential light shifts between the two states. This is achieved by combining a fictitious magnetic field induced by optical nanofibre guided light and an external bias magnetic field. We calculate trap potentials for the cases of one- and two-guided modes with quasi-linear and quasi-circular polarisations, and calculate trap depths and trap frequencies for different values of laser power and bias fields. Moreover, we discuss the impact of the quadrupole polarisability of the Rydberg atoms on the trap potential and demonstrate how the size of a Rydberg atom influences the ponderomotive potential generated by the nanofibre-guided light field. This work expands on the idea of light-induced fictitious magnetic field traps and presents a practical approach for creating quantum networks using Rydberg atoms integrated with optical nanofibres to generate 1D atom arrays.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2507.12827

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Towards a fictitious magnetic field trap for both ground and Rydberg state 87^{87}87Rb atoms via the evanescent field of an optical nanofibre
Cold Rydberg atoms, known for their long lifetimes and strong dipole-dipole interactions that lead to the Rydberg blockade phenomenon, are among the most promising platforms for quantum simulations, quantum computation and quantum networks. However, a major limitation to the performance of Rydberg atom-based platforms is dephasing, which can be caused by atomic motion within the trap. Here, we propose a trap for 87^{87}87Rb cold atoms that confines both the electronic ground state and a Rydberg state, engineered to minimize the differential light shifts between the two states. This is achieved by combining a fictitious magnetic field induced by optical nanofibre guided light and an external bias magnetic field. We calculate trap potentials for the cases of one- and two-guided modes with quasi-linear and quasi-circular polarisations, and calculate trap depths and trap frequencies for different values of laser power and bias fields. Moreover, we discuss the impact of the quadrupole polarisability of the Rydberg atoms on the trap potential and demonstrate how the size of a Rydberg atom influences the ponderomotive potential generated by the nanofibre-guided light field. This work expands on the idea of light-induced fictitious magnetic field traps and presents a practical approach for creating quantum networks using Rydberg atoms integrated with optical nanofibres to generate 1D atom arrays.
Abstract Cold Rydberg atoms, known for their long lifetimes and strong dipole-dipole interactions that lead to the Rydberg blockade phenomenon, are among the most promising platforms for quantum simulations, quantum computation and quantum networks. However, a major limitation to the performance of Rydberg atom-based platforms is dephasing, which can be caused by atomic motion within the trap. Here, we propose a trap for 87Rb cold atoms that confines both the electronic ground state and a Rydberg state, engineered to minimize the differential light shifts between the two states. This is achieved by combining a fictitious magnetic field induced by optical nanofiber (ONF) guided light and an external bias magnetic field. We calculate trap potentials for the cases of one- and two-guided modes with quasi-linear and quasi-circular polarizations, and calculate trap depths and trap frequencies for different values of laser power and bias fields. Moreover, we discuss the impact of the quadrupole polarisability of the Rydberg atoms on the trap potential and demonstrate how the size of a Rydberg atom influences the ponderomotive potential generated by the nanofiber-guided light field. This work expands on the idea of light-induced fictitious magnetic field traps and presents a practical approach for creating quantum networks using Rydberg atoms integrated with ONFs to generate 1D atom arrays.
We present a magnetic trapping scheme for cold Rb 87 atoms based on light-induced fictitious magnetic fields generated by the evanescent field of an optical nanofiber (ONF) integrated with optical tweezers. We calculate and compare the trapping potentials for both Gaussian and Laguerre-Gaussian modes of the tweezer beam, combined with a quasilinearly polarized ONF-guided field. Based on the optical powers in the tweezer and ONF modes, we analyze the trap depths and the positions of the potential minima from the nanofiber surface. We show that, by varying the optical powers in the two fields, the trap position can be tuned over several hundred nanometers while simultaneously influencing the trap depth and trap frequencies. Such control over the atom-surface position is essential for studying distance-dependent effects on atoms trapped near a dielectric surface and optimizing atom-photon interfaces for quantum technology applications.
Photonics platforms combining laser-cooled atoms with optical nanofibres facilitate strong light–matter interactions across the classical and quantum regimes. The subwavelength confinement of the fibre-guided modes produces a large evanescent field, allowing efficient coupling of light to nearby atoms. We investigate atom-mediated processes in nanofibre-based platforms, with particular focus on Rydberg excitation of cold 87 Rb in close proximity to a dielectric. We identify key limitations to excitation efficiency and discuss alternative trapping strategies to overcome these effects.
Hybrid quantum platforms based on highly excited Rydberg atoms coupled to nanophotonics devices offer a promising route toward scalable quantum networks and integrated quantum technologies. However, the close proximity of Rydberg atoms to dielectric nanostructures makes these systems particularly susceptible to uncontrolled surface electric fields that can lead to a degradation of the excitation process. Here, we experimentally investigate Rydberg excitation of laser-cooled 87^{87}87Rb atoms via the evanescent field of an optical nanofiber in the presence of fiber-guided red- and blue-detuned light fields as used to trap ground state atoms in fiber-based dipole traps. We observe a time evolution of the Rydberg excitation spectrum when both the dipole trapping fields are on and the additional spectral features that appear can be suppressed by applying an external oscillating electric field to the system, strongly indicating that surface charge accumulation is responsible for the observed spectral feature. The experimental results are reproduced qualitatively by a model that incorporates DC energy level shifts arising from electric fields generated by charges deposited on the nanofiber surface. We identify Rydberg-ground state collisional ionization, which is enhanced by the dipole trapping fields, as the dominant mechanism for charge generation. These results provide new insight into charge dynamics at dielectric nanophotonic interfaces and establish practical guidelines for mitigating surface charge-induced electric fields in fiber-integrated Rydberg quantum systems.
We propose a trap for cold neutral atoms using a fictitious magnetic field induced by a nanofiber-guided light field in conjunction with an external magnetic bias field. In close analogy to magnetic side-guide wire traps realized with current-carrying wires, a trapping potential can be formed when applying a homogeneous magnetic bias field perpendicular to the fiber axis. We discuss this scheme in detail for laser-cooled cesium atoms and find trap depths and trap frequencies comparable to the two-color nanofiber-based trapping scheme but with one order of magnitude lower power of the trapping laser field. Moreover, the proposed scheme allows one to bring the atoms closer to the nanofiber surface, thereby enabling efficient optical interfacing of the atoms with additional light fields. Specifically, optical depths per atom, σ 0 / A eff , of more than 0.4 are predicted, making this system eligible for nanofiber-based nonlinear and quantum optics experiments.
Complete control of light-matter interactions at a single quantum level is critical for quantum science applications such as precision measurements and information processing. Nanophotonic devices, developed with recent advancements in nanofabrication techniques, can be used to tailor the interactions between single photons and atoms. One example of such a device is the optical nanofibre, which provides an excellent platform due to the strongly confined transverse light fields, long interaction length, low loss, and diverse optical modes. This facilitates a strong interaction between atoms and guided light, revealing chiral atom-light processes and the prospect of waveguide quantum electrodynamics. This work highlights recent advances on optical nanofiber mediated excitation of cold rubidium Rydberg atoms for the creation of a 1D Rydberg array.