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Optical Trapping and Optical Micromanipulation

Optical fiber-based traps for particle, trapping, manipulation and characterization

Síle Nic Chormaic

Published Jul 30, 2021• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Optical traps using different configurations of optical fibers facilitate the trapping, manipulation, and characterization of particles ranging from dielectric beads, through anisotropic particles such as rare-earth doped nanorods. Here, we will introduce several such configurations, including the quasi-Bessel beam optical fiber tweezers and the optical nanofiber, and illustrate the variety of measurements that can be made depending on the configuration chosen. These optical traps provide us with unique opportunities to explore topics such as spin-orbit coupling and emission spectroscopy.

DOI
10.1117/12.2594441

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Optical traps using different configurations of optical fibers facilitate the trapping, manipulation, and characterization of particles ranging from dielectric beads, through anisotropic particles such as rare-earth doped nanorods. Here, we will introduce several such configurations, including the quasi-Bessel beam optical fiber tweezers and the optical nanofiber, and illustrate the variety of measurements that can be made depending on the configuration chosen. These optical traps provide us with unique opportunities to explore topics such as spin-orbit coupling and emission spectroscopy.
Optical traps using different configurations of optical fibers facilitate the trapping, manipulation, and characterization of particles ranging from dielectric beads, through anisotropic particles such as rare-earth doped nanorods. Here, we will introduce several such configurations, including the quasi-Bessel beam optical fiber tweezers and the optical nanofiber, and illustrate the variety of measurements that can be made depending on the configuration chosen. These optical traps provide us with unique opportunities to explore topics such as spin-orbit coupling and emission spectroscopy.
The use of tapered optical fibers, i.e., optical nanofibers, for spectroscopy and the detection of small numbers of particles, such as neutral atoms or molecules, has been gaining interest in recent years. In this review, we briefly introduce the optical nanofiber, its fabrication, and optical mode propagation within. We discuss recent progress on the integration of optical nanofibers into laser-cooled atom and vapor systems, paying particular attention to spectroscopy, cold atom cloud characterization, and optical trapping schemes. Next, a natural extension of this work to molecules is introduced. Finally, we consider several alternatives to optical nanofibers that display some advantages for specific applications.
Optical micro- and nanofibers have recently gained popularity as tools in quantum engineering using laser-cooled, neutral atoms. In particular, atoms can be trapped around such optical fibers, and photons coupled into the fibers from the surrounding atoms could be used to transfer quantum state information within the system. It has also been demonstrated that such fibers can be used to manipulate and trap silica and polystyrene particles in the 1-3 μm range. We recently proposed using a focused ion beam nanostructured tapered optical fiber for improved atom trapping geometries1. Here, we present details on the design and fabrication of these nanostructured optical fibers and their integration into particle trapping platforms for the demonstration of submicron particle trapping. The optical fibers are tapered to approximately 1-2 μm waist diameters, using a custom-built, heat-and-pull fiber rig, prior to processing using a focused ion beam. Slots of about 300 nm in width and 10-20 μm in length are milled right though the waist regions of the tapered optical fibers. Details on the fabrication steeps necessary to ensure high optical transmission though the fiber post processing are included. Fiber transmissions of over 80% over a broad range of wavelengths, in the 700-11100 nm range, are attainable. We also present simulation results on the impact of varying the slot parameters on the trap depths achievable and milling multiple traps within a single tapered fiber. This work demonstrates even further the functionality of optical micro- and nanofibers as trapping devices across a range of regimes.
We propose that micrometer-sized atom traps can be created using the optical dipole force between the ends of two single-mode optical fibers carrying counterpropagating light beams of two different wavelengths from both fibers. The traps have a simple design that is feasible to implement with commercially available products. They can be used as a flexible ``atom tweezer'' to manipulate atoms in free space without the need for traditional focused laser beams. A particularly interesting feature is the formation of a static ring-shaped trap for properly chosen beam parameters. Furthermore, this ring can be split into two longitudinally adjacent rings. Microscopic ring traps such as this could have important applications in atom interferometry and fundamental investigations of Bose-Einstein condensates.
We propose that micrometer-sized atom traps can be created using the optical dipole force between the ends of two single-mode optical fibers carrying counterpropagating light beams of two different wavelengths from both fibers. The traps have a simple design that is feasible to implement with commercially available products. They can be used as a flexible ``atom tweezer'' to manipulate atoms in free space without the need for traditional focused laser beams. A particularly interesting feature is the formation of a static ring-shaped trap for properly chosen beam parameters. Furthermore, this ring can be split into two longitudinally adjacent rings. Microscopic ring traps such as this could have important applications in atom interferometry and fundamental investigations of Bose-Einstein condensates.
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.