Nanofiber based light-matter interaction for high performance laser spectroscopy

Yun Qi, Wei Jin, Hoi Lut Ho

Optical nanofiber is a widely adopted platform for highly efficient light-matter interaction by virtue of its exposed evanescent field with high light intensity. However, the strongly constrained mode field with the wavelength-scale size makes the light-matter interaction time limited in consideration of the random thermal motion of warm molecules, which results in considerable transit-time dephasing and thus line broadening. Here we report a systematic study of the transit-time effect associated with the optical nanofibers. Both simulation and experiment for nanofibers exposed in acetylene demonstrate the considerable transit-time broadened linewidth in the low-pressure range.

K. P. Nayak, Manoj Das, Fam Le Kien +1 more

K. Hakuta, K. P. Nayak, Mark Sadgrove +2 more

K. P. Nayak

Tapered optical fiber with subwavelength diameter waist, an optical nanofiber, provides a unique and versatile platform for manipulating atoms and photons. In the guided modes of the nanofibers, the optical field can be tightly confined in the transverse direction while enabling strong interaction with the surrounding medium in the evanescent region. Combining laser-cooled atoms with nanofibers has enabled surprising quantum optics experiments, e.g. the efficient channeling of emission from single atoms into the fiber-guided modes, spectroscopy of near-surface atoms, high optical depth with an array of atoms optically trapped around the nanofiber, atomic memories and Bragg reflectors for fiber-guided photons, chiral light-matter interaction etc. In addition, using moderate longitudinal confinement in nanofiber cavities has enabled strong coupling between a single atom and fiber-guided photons. In this article, I review some of the key experimental demonstrations on the “atom＋nanofiber” platform.

Maki Maeda, Wenfang Li, Jinjin Du +2 more

T. B. Pittman, Daniel E. Jones, Garrett Hickman +1 more

We describe experimental work on a nanofiber-based ring resonator that enables strong interactions between the cavity-enhanced field and atoms near the nanofiber surface. This “all fiber” cavity has applications in nonlinear spectroscopy and quantum optics.