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Physical Review Letters

Laser Spectroscopy of Atoms Guided by Evanescent Waves in Micron-Sized Hollow Optical Fibers

Hajime Ito, T. Nakata, K. Sakaki, Motoichi Ohtsu, K. I. Lee, Wonho Jhe

Published Jun 10, 1996• 253 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We report the first laser spectroscopic experiments on the Rb beam guided by blue-detuned evanescent waves in micron-sized hollow fibers. The two-step photoionization spectra show the long-range dispersive properties of dipole interaction between guided atoms and evanescent waves. A large enhancement factor of 20 in in the transmitted atomic flux is obtained at optimal conditions and the total guidance efficiency is estimated to be above 40%. The state- and species-selective guide with proper frequency detunings of the guide laser realizes in-line spatial separation of two stable Rb isotopes.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.76.4500

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We report the first laser spectroscopic experiments on the Rb beam guided by blue-detuned evanescent waves in micron-sized hollow fibers. The two-step photoionization spectra show the long-range dispersive properties of dipole interaction between guided atoms and evanescent waves. A large enhancement factor of 20 in in the transmitted atomic flux is obtained at optimal conditions and the total guidance efficiency is estimated to be above 40%. The state- and species-selective guide with proper frequency detunings of the guide laser realizes in-line spatial separation of two stable Rb isotopes.
We report the recent progress of the experiments on guiding atoms by evanescent waves in micron-sized hollow optical fibers. The lateral manipulation accuracy is enhanced up to 1 micron with a large increase of more than 50 times on the guided atom flux. Moreover, the frequency tuning enables the fine control of the guided flux with a numerical accuracy of 10 atom/s. The atom-guidance scheme is applied to in-line isotope separation on rubidium atoms and measurement of the cavity quantum electrodynamic effect in a cylindrical dielectric. In addition, the feasibility of fabricating micron-sized structures with nanometric depth is discussed including the manipulation of a small number of laser-cooled atoms.
Optical near field realizes the precise control of atomic motion .As the first step, guiding of atoms through micron-sized hollow optical fiber is demonstrated .The two-step laser-photoionization spectroscopy shows the frequency dispersion properties of dipole interaction between atoms and optical near field .The species-and state-selective guidance is applied to in-line spatial separation of two stable Rb isotopes .In addition, the cavity QED (Quantum Electrodynamics) effect inside a dielectric cylinder is observed for the first time.The atom fiber has the faculty of carrying atoms to an arbitrary point over a long distance and then is useful as a novel scheme of optically controlled atomic deposition.The feasibility of creating dot-shaped nano-scale structures is illustrated through measurement of spatial distribution of the guided atom flux .Finally, a method of manipulating atoms beyond the diffraction limit of light waves is presented including sharpened optical fibers and an atomic funnel with optical near field.
We use evanescent laser light to guide atoms through hollow-core optical fibers. The light, detuned to the blue side of rubidium's D2{D}_{2}D2​ resonance lines, is launched into the glass region of a hollow capillary fiber and guided through the fiber by total internal reflection from the glass walls. Atoms interacting with the evanescent component of the field are repelled from the wall and guided through the fiber hollow. A second laser tuned to the red side of resonance is used to initially inject the atoms into the evanescent guide. An optical intensity threshold for guiding is observed as the evanescent-field-induced dipole forces exceed the van der Waals forces.
This work demonstrates that the technique of guiding atoms through hollow optical fiber escorted by evanescent light is useful as a novel scheme of optical atom deposition. To show the feasibility of fabricating micron-sized structures with nanometric depth on a substrate, we measure the spatial distribution of the guided atom flux with a hot-wire detector. Moreover, precise control of the deposition rate is illustrated with a 1.4-μm-hollow fiber via photoionization spectroscopy. The ratio of the guided atom flux relative to the background transmission is enhanced up to 80-fold with a slightly tilted hollow fiber.
We describe guiding of neutral atoms through a hollow optical fiber with a micron-sized hollow core. Two-step photoionization experiment shows the frequency dispersion properties of the dipole interaction between an atom and an optical near field. These characteristics are advantageous to species- and state-selective manipulation of atoms. Then we discus a new scheme of atom deposition by means of the guiding technique, including a numerical simulation. We also present two methods for controlling atomic motion using a sharped optical fiber with a nanometric optical n ear field, i.e., atom deflection and atom trap. Deflection angle and trap potential are estimated based on a near-field intensity distribution derived from a Yukawa-type screened potential. The manipulation techniques are useful for precise control of atoms with a spatial accuracy beyond diffraction limit, which will lead to atomic-scale crystal growth.
Laser-cooled atoms from a low-velocity atomic source are guided in a hollow-core optical fiber using the evanescent-wave dipole force from blue-detuned laser light launched into the glass region of the fiber. The transverse velocity of the guided atoms corresponds to a temperature of $50 \ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{K}.$ We achieve a maximum flux through a 23.5-cm-long fiber of 590 000 atoms/second with a laser power of 55 mWatts at a detuning of 6 GHz. With larger detunings of 40 GHz, spontaneous emission from the atoms inside the fiber can be suppressed and the atom's internal-state population is preserved. We identify two major loss mechanisms for the guiding process and discuss possible solutions.