Efficient coupling of light to quantum emitters, such as atoms, molecules or quantum dots, is one of the great challenges in current research. The interaction can be strongly enhanced by coupling the emitter to the eva-nescent field of subwavelength dielectric waveguides that offer strong lateral confinement of the guided light. In this context subwavelength diameter optical nanofibers as part of a tapered optical fiber (TOF) have proven to be powerful tool which also provide an efficient transfer of the light from the interaction region to an optical bus, that is to say, from the nanofiber to an optical fiber. rnAnother approach towards enhancing light–matter interaction is to employ an optical resonator in which the light is circulating and thus passes the emitters many times. Here, both approaches are combined by experi-mentally realizing a microresonator with an integrated nanofiber waist. This is achieved by building a fiber-integrated Fabry-Perot type resonator from two fiber Bragg grating mirrors with a stop-band near the cesium D2-line wavelength. The characteristics of this resonator fulfill the requirements of nonlinear optics, optical sensing, and cavity quantum electrodynamics in the strong-coupling regime. Together with its advantageous features, such as a constant high coupling strength over a large volume, tunability, high transmission outside the mirror stop band, and a monolithic design, this resonator is a promising tool for experiments with nanofiber-coupled atomic ensembles in the strong-coupling regime. rnThe resonator's high sensitivity to the optical properties of the nanofiber provides a probe for changes of phys-ical parameters that affect the guided optical mode, e.g., the temperature via the thermo-optic effect of silica. Utilizing this detection scheme, the thermalization dynamics due to far-field heat radiation of a nanofiber is studied over a large temperature range. This investigation provides, for the first time, a measurement of the total radiated power of an object with a diameter smaller than all absorption lengths in the thermal spectrum at the level of a single object of deterministic shape and material. The results show excellent agreement with an ab initio thermodynamic model that considers heat radiation as a volumetric effect and that takes the emitter shape and size relative to the emission wavelength into account. Modeling and investigating the thermalization of microscopic objects with arbitrary shape from first principles is of fundamental interest and has important applications, such as heat management in nano-devices or radiative forcing of aerosols in Earth's climate system. rnUsing a similar method, the effect of the TOF's mechanical modes on the polarization and phase of the fiber-guided light is studied. The measurement results show that in typical TOFs these quantities exhibit high-frequency thermal fluctuations. They originate from high-Q torsional oscillations that couple to the nanofiber-guided light via the strain-optic effect. An ab-initio opto-mechanical model…
Efficient coupling of light to quantum emitters, such as atoms, molecules or quantum dots, is one of the great challenges in current research. The interaction can be strongly enhanced by coupling the emitter to the eva-nescent field of subwavelength dielectric waveguides that offer strong lateral confinement of the guided light. In this context subwavelength diameter optical nanofibers as part of a tapered optical fiber (TOF) have proven to be powerful tool which also provide an efficient transfer of the light from the interaction region to an optical bus, that is to say, from the nanofiber to an optical fiber. rnAnother approach towards enhancing light–matter interaction is to employ an optical resonator in which the light is circulating and thus passes the emitters many times. Here, both approaches are combined by experi-mentally realizing a microresonator with an integrated nanofiber waist. This is achieved by building a fiber-integrated Fabry-Perot type resonator from two fiber Bragg grating mirrors with a stop-band near the cesium D2-line wavelength. The characteristics of this resonator fulfill the requirements of nonlinear optics, optical sensing, and cavity quantum electrodynamics in the strong-coupling regime. Together with its advantageous features, such as a constant high coupling strength over a large volume, tunability, high transmission outside the mirror stop band, and a monolithic design, this resonator is a promising tool for experiments with nanofiber-coupled atomic ensembles in the strong-coupling regime. rnThe resonator's high sensitivity to the optical properties of the nanofiber provides a probe for changes of phys-ical parameters that affect the guided optical mode, e.g., the temperature via the thermo-optic effect of silica. Utilizing this detection scheme, the thermalization dynamics due to far-field heat radiation of a nanofiber is studied over a large temperature range. This investigation provides, for the first time, a measurement of the total radiated power of an object with a diameter smaller than all absorption lengths in the thermal spectrum at the level of a single object of deterministic shape and material. The results show excellent agreement with an ab initio thermodynamic model that considers heat radiation as a volumetric effect and that takes the emitter shape and size relative to the emission wavelength into account. Modeling and investigating the thermalization of microscopic objects with arbitrary shape from first principles is of fundamental interest and has important applications, such as heat management in nano-devices or radiative forcing of aerosols in Earth's climate system. rnUsing a similar method, the effect of the TOF's mechanical modes on the polarization and phase of the fiber-guided light is studied. The measurement results show that in typical TOFs these quantities exhibit high-frequency thermal fluctuations. They originate from high-Q torsional oscillations that couple to the nanofiber-guided light via the strain-optic effect. An ab-initio opto-mechanical model…
We experimentally realize a Fabry-Perot-type optical microresonator near the cesium D2 line wavelength based on a tapered optical fiber, equipped with two fiber Bragg gratings that enclose a subwavelength diameter waist. Owing to the very low taper losses, the finesse of the resonator reaches F=86 while the on-resonance transmission is T=11%. The characteristics of our resonator fulfill the requirements of nonlinear optics and cavity quantum electrodynamics in the strong coupling regime. These characteristics, combined with the demonstrated ease of use and advantageous mode geometry, open a realm of applications.
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.
We experimentally realize an optical fiber ring resonator that includes a tapered section with a subwavelength-diameter waist. In this section, the guided light exhibits a significant evanescent field which allows for efficient interfacing with optical emitters. A commercial tunable fiber beam splitter provides simple and robust coupling to the resonator. Key parameters of the resonator such as the out-coupling rate, free spectral range, and birefringence can be adjusted. Thanks to the low taper- and coupling-losses, the resonator exhibits an unloaded finesse of F=75±1, sufficient for reaching the regime of strong coupling for emitters placed in the evanescent field. The system is ideally suited for trapping ensembles of laser-cooled atoms along the nanofiber section. Based on measured parameters, we estimate that the system can serve as a platform for optical multimode strong coupling experiments. Finally, we discuss the possibilities of using the resonator for applications based on chiral quantum optics.
Abstract Recent advances in the coherent control of single quanta of light, photons , is a topic of prime interest, and is discussed under the banner of quantum photonics . In the last decade, the subwavelength diameter waist of a tapered optical fiber, referred to as an optical nanofiber , has opened promising new avenues in the field of quantum optics, paving the way toward a versatile platform for quantum photonics applications. The key feature of the technique is that the optical field can be tightly confined in the transverse direction while propagating over long distances as a guided mode and enabling strong interaction with the surrounding medium in the evanescent region. This feature has led to surprising possibilities to manipulate single atoms and fiber-guided photons, e.g. the efficient channeling of emission from single atoms and solid-state quantum emitters into the fiber-guided modes, high optical depth with a few atoms around the nanofiber, trapping atoms around a nanofiber, and atomic memories for fiber-guided photons. Furthermore, implementing a moderate longitudinal confinement in nanofiber cavities has enabled the strong coupling regime of cavity quantum electrodynamics to be reached, and the long-range dipole–dipole interaction between quantum emitters mediated by the nanofiber offers a platform for quantum nonlinear optics with an ensemble of atoms. In addition, the presence of a longitudinal component of the guided field has led to unique capabilities for chiral light–matter interactions on nanofibers. In this article, we review the key developments of the nanofiber technology toward a vision for quantum photonics on an all-fiber interface.
Optical nanofibers provide a versatile platform for exploring strong light-matter interactions at the single-quantum level, a central goal of quantum optics. Their subwavelength diameter supports tightly confined guided modes with strong evanescent fields, enabling efficient coupling between photons and nearby atoms. By incorporating fiber Bragg gratings, nanofibers can form fully fiber-integrated high-finesse cavities, combining strong atom-photon coupling with efficient and low-loss optical input-output interfacing in the setting of cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED). In parallel, nanofiber systems naturally realize waveguide QED, where atoms interact strongly with propagating photons in a one-dimensional geometry. In this review, we introduce the underlying physical principles, summarize key experimental techniques and representative phenomena, and discuss prospects for applications in quantum information processing, quantum networks, and related quantum technologies.
In this thesis, I present the realization of a fiber-optical interface using optically trapped cesium atoms, which is an efficient tool for coupling light and atoms. The basic principle of the presented scheme relies on the trapping of neutral cesium atoms in a two-color evanescent field surrounding a nanofiber. The strong confinement of the fiber guided light, which also protrudes outside the nanofiber, provides strong confinement of the atoms as well as efficient coupling to near-resonant light propagating through the fiber. In chapter 1, the necessary physical and mathematical background describing the propagation of light in an optical fiber is presented. The exact solution of Maxwell’s equations allows us to model fiber-guided light fields which give rise to the trapping potentials and the atom-light coupling in the close vicinity of a nanofiber. Chapter 2 gives the theoretical background of light-atom interaction. A quantum mechanical model of the light-induced shifts of the relevant atomic levels is reviewed, which allows us to quantify the perturbation of the atomic states due to the presence of the trapping light-fields. The experimental realization of the fiber-based atom trap is the focus of chapter 3. Here, I analyze the properties of the fiber-based trap in terms of the confinement of the atoms and the impact of several heating mechanisms. Furthermore, I demonstrate the transportation of the trapped atoms, as a first step towards a deterministic delivery of individual atoms. In chapter 4, I present the successful interfacing of the trapped atomic ensemble and fiber-guided light. Three different approaches are discussed, i.e., those involving the measurement of either near-resonant scattering in absorption or the emission into the guided mode of the nanofiber. In the analysis of the spectroscopic properties of the trapped ensemble we find good agreement with the prediction of theoretical model discussed in chapter 2. In addition, I introduce a non-destructive scheme for the interrogation of the atoms states, which is sensitive to phase shifts of far-detuned fiber-guided light interacting with the trapped atoms. The inherent birefringence in our system, induced by the atoms, changes the state of polarization of the probe light and can be thus detected via a Stokes vector measurement.