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EPJ Web of Conferences

The comb waveguide: a new tool for strong interaction between atoms and light

Nikos Fayard, Adrien Bouscal, Jérémy Berroir, Alban Urvoy, Tridib Ray, Sukanya Mahapatra, Malik Kemiche, Juan Ariel Levenson, Jean‐Jacques Greffet, Kamel Bencheikh, Julien Laurat, Christophe Sauvan

Published Jan 1, 2022• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Coupling quantum emitters and nanostructures, in particular cold atoms and waveguides, has recently raised a large interest due to unprecedented possibilities of engineering light-matter interactions. However, the implementation of these promising concepts has been hampered by various theoretical and experimental issues. In this work, we propose a new type of periodic dielectric waveguide that provides strong interactions between atoms and guided photons with an unusual dispersion. We design an asymmetric comb waveguide that supports a slow mode with a quartic (instead of quadratic) dispersion and an electric field that extends far into the air cladding for an optimal interaction with atoms. We compute the optical trapping potential formed with two guided modes at frequencies detuned from the atomic transition. We show that cold Rubidium atoms can be trapped as close as 100 nm from the structure in a 1.3-mK-deep potential well. For atoms trapped at this position, the emission into guided photons is largely favored, with a beta factor as high as 0.88 and a radiative decay rate into the slow mode 10 times larger than the free-space decay rate.

DOI
10.1051/epjconf/202226608002

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Coupling quantum emitters and nanostructures, in particular cold atoms and waveguides, has recently raised a large interest due to unprecedented possibilities of engineering light-matter interactions. However, the implementation of these promising concepts has been hampered by various theoretical and experimental issues. In this work, we propose a new type of periodic dielectric waveguide that provides strong interactions between atoms and guided photons with an unusual dispersion. We design an asymmetric comb waveguide that supports a slow mode with a quartic (instead of quadratic) dispersion and an electric field that extends far into the air cladding for an optimal interaction with atoms. We compute the optical trapping potential formed with two guided modes at frequencies detuned from the atomic transition. We show that cold Rubidium atoms can be trapped as close as 100 nm from the structure in a 1.3-mK-deep potential well. For atoms trapped at this position, the emission into guided photons is largely favored, with a beta factor as high as 0.88 and a radiative decay rate into the slow mode 10 times larger than the free-space decay rate.
Coupling quantum emitters and nanostructures, in particular cold atoms and waveguides, has recently raised a large interest due to unprecedented possibilities of engineering light-matter interactions. However, the implementation of these promising concepts has been hampered by various theoretical and experimental issues. In this work, we propose a new type of periodic dielectric waveguide that provides strong interactions between atoms and guided photons with an unusual dispersion. We design an asymmetric comb waveguide that supports a slow mode with a quartic (instead of quadratic) dispersion and an electric field that extends far into the air cladding for an optimal interaction with atoms. We compute the optical trapping potential formed with two guided modes at frequencies detuned from the atomic transition. We show that cold Rubidium atoms can be trapped as close as 100 nm from the structure in a 1.3-mK-deep potential well. For atoms trapped at this position, the emission into guided photons is largely favored, with a beta factor as high as 0.88 and a radiative decay rate into the slow mode 10 times larger than the free-space decay rate.
Coupling quantum emitters and nanostructures, in particular cold atoms and optical waveguides, has recently raised a large interest due to unprecedented possibilities of engineering light-matter interactions. In this work, we propose a new type of periodic dielectric waveguide that provides strong interactions between atoms and guided photons with an unusual dispersion. We design an asymmetric comb waveguide that supports a slow mode with a quartic (instead of quadratic) dispersion and an electric field that extends far into the air cladding for an optimal interaction with atoms. We compute the optical trapping potential formed with two guided modes at frequencies detuned from the atomic transition. We show that cold Rubidium atoms can be trapped as close as 100 nm from the structure in a 1.3-mK-deep potential well. For atoms trapped at this position, the emission into guided photons is largely favored, with a beta factor as high as 0.88 and a radiative decay rate into the slow mode 10 times larger than the free-space decay rate. These figures of merit are obtained at a moderately low group velocity of c/50.
Abstract Novel platforms interfacing trapped cold atoms and guided light in nanoscale waveguides are a promising route to achieve a regime of strong coupling between light and atoms in single pass, with applications to quantum non-linear optics and quantum simulation. A strong challenge for the experimental development of this emerging waveguide-QED field of research is to combine facilitated optical access for atom transport, atom trapping via guided modes and robustness to inherent nanofabrication imperfections. In this endeavor, here we propose to interface Rubidium atoms with a photonic-crystal waveguide based on a large-index GaInP slab. With a specifically tailored half-W1 design, we show that a large chiral coupling to the waveguide can be obtained and guided modes can be used to form two-color dipole traps for atoms down to 115 nm from the edge of the structure. This optimized device should greatly improve the level of experimental control and facilitate the atom integration.
Interfacing cold neutral atoms and photons guided in nanoscale waveguides has raised a large interest over the recent years, with a wealth of emerging opportunities. Arrays of atoms can be trapped in the evanescent field of guided modes and the strong transverse confinement enables to increase the individual atom-photon coupling in single pass. Remarkable experimental advances have been obtained with optical nanofibers [1], but photonic crystals waveguides (PCW) are very promising as they allow for precise dispersion engineering. Despite these promises, trapping atoms in the vicinity of such PCWs is still at its infancy.
Reaching a regime of strong coupling between light and atoms is a long-sought goal in quantum optics, as it will enable non-linear optics at the photon level. Interfacing atoms with guided light in nanophotonic waveguides is a promising route to achieve such regimes. Experimental platforms include nanofibers [1] and photonic crystal waveguides (PCWs), owing to the large transverse confinement of their guided modes. With PCWs, tuning the dispersion relation gives rise to the additional benefit of a very low group velocity of the guided light [2] , allowing for strong coupling even in single pass. Moreover these systems can help explore waveguide-QED and probe exciting novel bandgap physics [3] . While encouraging values of couplings have been observed with first corrugated devices [4] , a photonic platform with trapped atoms via guided modes in the vicinity of a waveguide and lying deep in the strong coupling regime has yet to be demonstrated.
One path to quantum information processing involves light-matter interaction, such as light in a photonic-crystal waveguide coupled to a cloud of ultracold alkali atoms. However, to actually implement such a system, it is crucial to increase the coupling strength beyond what is presently achievable. The authors explain the design requirements to achieve large coupling by decreasing the group velocity of an edge mode in a hybrid-clad waveguide, allowing photons of ``slow light'' to interact with trapped cold atoms in a robust, chip-integrated setting.