Cavities have driven significant advances in optical physics and quantum science, with applications ranging from lasers and spectroscopy to quantum information processing, simulation and metrology. For standard optical cavities, each eigenmode corresponds to a single, well-defined frequency. Here, we present a macroscopic optical Fabry-Pérot cavity whose eigenmodes are coherent superpositions of two frequency modes in the VIS-NIR range. Specifically, we demonstrate strong coupling between 384 THz (780 nm) and 580 THz (516 nm) cavity modes by incorporating an intracavity $χ^{(2)}$ crystal driven by a non-resonant optical pump at 1529 nm. Strong coupling enables us to demonstrate frequency conversion with an end-to-end, free-space conversion efficiency of 30(1)%, limited by current cavity design and internal cavity losses. We also demonstrate coupling between distinct spatial modes at the two frequencies, extending coherent control to the spatial basis. In conjunction with improved resonator design and low-loss nonlinear crystals, we anticipate a factor of $>$50 increase in two-mode-cooperativity for stronger coupling and near-unity conversion efficiency at low pump powers. This platform opens new avenues for cavity-QED experiments, with potential applications spanning cavity-mediated interactions between distinct atomic species, interconnects for quantum networking and modular computing, and spatially multimode cavity physics.Cavities have driven significant advances in optical physics and quantum science, with applications ranging from lasers and spectroscopy to quantum information processing, simulation and metrology. For standard optical cavities, each eigenmode corresponds to a single, well-defined frequency. Here, we present a macroscopic optical Fabry-Pérot cavity whose eigenmodes are coherent superpositions of two frequency modes in the VIS-NIR range. Specifically, we demonstrate strong coupling between 384 THz (780 nm) and 580 THz (516 nm) cavity modes by incorporating an intracavity $χ^{(2)}$ crystal driven by a non-resonant optical pump at 1529 nm. Strong coupling enables us to demonstrate frequency conversion with an end-to-end, free-space conversion efficiency of 30(1)%, limited by current cavity design and internal cavity losses. We also demonstrate coupling between distinct spatial modes at the two frequencies, extending coherent control to the spatial basis. In conjunction with improved resonator design and low-loss nonlinear crystals, we anticipate a factor of $>$50 increase in two-mode-cooperativity for stronger coupling and near-unity conversion efficiency at low pump powers. This platform opens new avenues for cavity-QED experiments, with potential applications spanning cavity-mediated interactions between distinct atomic species, interconnects for quantum networking and modular computing, and spatially multimode cavity physics.

arXiv:2503.00833Mar 2, 20250 citations

Novel characterization of an optical cavity with small mode volume

Moonjoo Lee, Myunghun Kim, Jungsoo Hong +4 more

We characterize a high-finesse Fabry-Perot resonator for coupling with single neutral atoms. Our cavity consists of two mirrors with different reflectivities: One has minimal optical loss, and the other high transmission loss where more than 90% of the intracavity photons would be emitted. Cavity finesse, birefringent effects, and mechanical resonances are measured using the lasers at 780, 782, and 795 nm. In order to obtain cavity geometric parameters, we drive the adjacent longitudinal or transverse modes with two lasers simultaneously, and measure those frequencies using a precision wavelength meter (WLM). A major novelty of this method is that the parameters' uncertainty is solely determined by the resolution of the WLM, eliminating all of the temporal environment fluctuations. Moreover, the technique with two lasers consists of a vital approach for determining geometric parameters of a short cavity, with a free spectral range on the order of THz. Our system operates in the strong atom-cavity coupling regime that allows us to explore fundamental quantum optics and implement quantum network protocols.We characterize a high-finesse Fabry-Perot resonator for coupling with single neutral atoms. Our cavity consists of two mirrors with different reflectivities: One has minimal optical loss, and the other high transmission loss where more than 90% of the intracavity photons would be emitted. Cavity finesse, birefringent effects, and mechanical resonances are measured using the lasers at 780, 782, and 795 nm. In order to obtain cavity geometric parameters, we drive the adjacent longitudinal or transverse modes with two lasers simultaneously, and measure those frequencies using a precision wavelength meter (WLM). A major novelty of this method is that the parameters' uncertainty is solely determined by the resolution of the WLM, eliminating all of the temporal environment fluctuations. Moreover, the technique with two lasers consists of a vital approach for determining geometric parameters of a short cavity, with a free spectral range on the order of THz. Our system operates in the strong atom-cavity coupling regime that allows us to explore fundamental quantum optics and implement quantum network protocols.

Feb 11, 20211 citation

Lasing by driven atoms-cavity system in collective strong coupling regime

Rahul Sawant, S. A. Rangwala

The interaction of laser cooled atoms with resonant light is determined by the natural linewidth of the excited state. An optical cavity is another optically resonant system where the loss from the cavity determines the resonant optical response of the system. The near resonant combination of an optical Fabry-Pérot cavity with laser cooled and trapped atoms couples two distinct optical resonators via light and has great potential for precision measurements and the creation of versatile quantum optics systems. Here we show how driven magneto-optically trapped atoms in collective strong coupling regime with the cavity leads to lasing at a frequency red detuned from the atomic transition. Lasing is demonstrated experimentally by the observation of a lasing threshold accompanied by polarization and spatial mode purity, and line-narrowing in the outcoupled light. Spontaneous emission into the cavity mode by the driven atoms stimulates lasing action, which is capable of operating as a continuous wave laser in steady state, without a seed laser. The system is modeled theoretically, and qualitative agreement with experimentally observed lasing is seen. Our result opens up a range of new measurement possibilities with this system.The interaction of laser cooled atoms with resonant light is determined by the natural linewidth of the excited state. An optical cavity is another optically resonant system where the loss from the cavity determines the resonant optical response of the system. The near resonant combination of an optical Fabry-Pérot cavity with laser cooled and trapped atoms couples two distinct optical resonators via light and has great potential for precision measurements and the creation of versatile quantum optics systems. Here we show how driven magneto-optically trapped atoms in collective strong coupling regime with the cavity leads to lasing at a frequency red detuned from the atomic transition. Lasing is demonstrated experimentally by the observation of a lasing threshold accompanied by polarization and spatial mode purity, and line-narrowing in the outcoupled light. Spontaneous emission into the cavity mode by the driven atoms stimulates lasing action, which is capable of operating as a continuous wave laser in steady state, without a seed laser. The system is modeled theoretically, and qualitative agreement with experimentally observed lasing is seen. Our result opens up a range of new measurement possibilities with this system.

arXiv:1705.08075Scientific ReportsSep 6, 201716 citations

High Cooperativity Using a Confocal-Cavity–QED Microscope

Ronen M. Kroeze, Brendan Marsh, Kuan-Yu Lin +2 more

Cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) with cooperativity far greater than unity enables high-fidelity quantum sensing and information processing.The high-cooperativity regime is often reached through the use of short single-mode resonators.More complicated multimode resonators, such as the near-confocal optical Fabry-Pérot cavity, can provide intracavity atomic imaging in addition to high cooperativity.This capability has recently proved important for exploring quantum many-body physics in the driven-dissipative setting.In this work, we show that a confocal-cavity-QED microscope can realize cooperativity in excess of 110.This cooperativity is on par with the very best single-mode cavities (which are far shorter) and 21 times greater than single-mode resonators of similar length and mirror radii.The 1.7-µm imaging resolution is naturally identical to the photon-mediated interaction range.We measure these quantities by determining the threshold of cavity superradiance when small optically tweezed Bose-Einstein condensates are pumped at various intracavity locations.Transmission measurements of an ex situ cavity corroborate these results.We provide a theoretical description that shows how cooperativity enhancement arises from the dispersive coupling to the atoms of many near-degenerate modes.Cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) with cooperativity far greater than unity enables high-fidelity quantum sensing and information processing.The high-cooperativity regime is often reached through the use of short single-mode resonators.More complicated multimode resonators, such as the near-confocal optical Fabry-Pérot cavity, can provide intracavity atomic imaging in addition to high cooperativity.This capability has recently proved important for exploring quantum many-body physics in the driven-dissipative setting.In this work, we show that a confocal-cavity-QED microscope can realize cooperativity in excess of 110.This cooperativity is on par with the very best single-mode cavities (which are far shorter) and 21 times greater than single-mode resonators of similar length and mirror radii.The 1.7-µm imaging resolution is naturally identical to the photon-mediated interaction range.We measure these quantities by determining the threshold of cavity superradiance when small optically tweezed Bose-Einstein condensates are pumped at various intracavity locations.Transmission measurements of an ex situ cavity corroborate these results.We provide a theoretical description that shows how cooperativity enhancement arises from the dispersive coupling to the atoms of many near-degenerate modes.

arXiv:2212.06716PRX QuantumMay 11, 202327 citations

Strong atom-cavity coupling observed for trapped single atoms and Bose-Einstein condensates on an atom chip

Yves Colombe, T. Steinmetz, Guilhem Dubois +5 more

We have used a fiber Fabry-Perot cavity on an atom chip to obtain strong, extremely stable atom-cavity coupling for single atoms and Bose-Einstein condensates trapped inside the cavity. The coherent atom-cavity coupling parameter, g0/2pi ~ 209 MHz, is larger than both cavity decay, kappa/2pi ~ 53 MHz and spontaneous emission gamma/2pi ~ 3 MHz. Due to the small mode volume, these values, well inside the strong coupling regime of cavity QED, are realized with a cavity finesse F ~ 36000, which is a moderate value compared to usual strong-coupling cavity QED experiments. The cavity also achieves a very high cooperativity parameter, C=g02/2kappagamma ~ 130.The use of trapped Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) is a fundamentally new situation for cavity QED, which should enable a new class of experiments, where atoms that share a well-defined internal and external quantum state collectively interact with a quantized mode of the cavity. Besides, as the spatial extension of the BEC assumes the fundamental limit that can be attained for an atom cloud - much smaller than an optical wavelength in our case - an extremely strong, stable and uniform coupling to the cavity mode is achieved. This makes the system interesting for applications such as quantum memories. For single atoms, our combination of high resonator cooperativity with extreme positioning precision enables qubit detection with near-unit efficiency. This realizes a long-awaited milestone for quantum information processing on atom chips.We have used a fiber Fabry-Perot cavity on an atom chip to obtain strong, extremely stable atom-cavity coupling for single atoms and Bose-Einstein condensates trapped inside the cavity. The coherent atom-cavity coupling parameter, g0/2pi ~ 209 MHz, is larger than both cavity decay, kappa/2pi ~ 53 MHz and spontaneous emission gamma/2pi ~ 3 MHz. Due to the small mode volume, these values, well inside the strong coupling regime of cavity QED, are realized with a cavity finesse F ~ 36000, which is a moderate value compared to usual strong-coupling cavity QED experiments. The cavity also achieves a very high cooperativity parameter, C=g02/2kappagamma ~ 130.The use of trapped Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) is a fundamentally new situation for cavity QED, which should enable a new class of experiments, where atoms that share a well-defined internal and external quantum state collectively interact with a quantized mode of the cavity. Besides, as the spatial extension of the BEC assumes the fundamental limit that can be attained for an atom cloud - much smaller than an optical wavelength in our case - an extremely strong, stable and uniform coupling to the cavity mode is achieved. This makes the system interesting for applications such as quantum memories. For single atoms, our combination of high resonator cooperativity with extreme positioning precision enables qubit detection with near-unit efficiency. This realizes a long-awaited milestone for quantum information processing on atom chips.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC)Jun 1, 20070 citations

An ultraviolet fibre-cavity for strong ion-photon interaction

T. G. Ballance

We investigate the coupling of a single trapped ion to a miniature optical cavity operating in the ultraviolet. Our cavity provides a source of single photons at a high rate into a single spatial mode. Using our apparatus, we have demonstrated the highest atom-cavity coupling rate achieved with a single ion by an order of magnitude. When the ion is continuously excited, we observe phase-sensitive correlations between emission into free-space and into the cavity mode, which can be explained by a cavity induced back-action effect on a driven dipole. We demonstrate coherent manipulation of a hyperfine qubit and ultra-short optical $\pi$ rotations, which are essential tools for creation and detection of spin-photon entanglement. To this end, we have developed optical fibre-based Fabry-Perot cavities in the ultraviolet spectral range. These cavities operate near the primary dipole transition of Yb at 370 nm, and allow us to couple a pure atomic two-level system offered by a single trapped ion to the cavity mode. A new Paul trap apparatus in an ultra-high vacuum chamber has been built which allows for the integration of these cavities at very small ion-mirror separations. In order for independent operation of the trap, a compact system of diode lasers has been built which are stabilised to low-drift optical reference cavities. Coherent control of the hyperfine qubit in Yb 171 is achieved through application of microwave radiation, and ultra-short optical $\pi$ rotations are performed with resonant light pulses derived from a frequency-doubled mode-locked titanium-sapphire laser. The experiment is controlled through a system of hardware and software which has been developed in a modular fashion and will allow for efficient control on the nanosecond time-scale when several such systems are interconnected. The success of our system opens the door to future experiments with trapped ions which will reach the strong coupling regime with a single ion. Furthermore, when operated in the fast-cavity regime, systems based on our approach will enable high-efficiency collection of photons from the ion into the single mode of an optical fibre. These systems will allow for the generation of distributed entanglement and will prove ideal as nodes in a larger quantum network of trapped ions.We investigate the coupling of a single trapped ion to a miniature optical cavity operating in the ultraviolet. Our cavity provides a source of single photons at a high rate into a single spatial mode. Using our apparatus, we have demonstrated the highest atom-cavity coupling rate achieved with a single ion by an order of magnitude. When the ion is continuously excited, we observe phase-sensitive correlations between emission into free-space and into the cavity mode, which can be explained by a cavity induced back-action effect on a driven dipole. We demonstrate coherent manipulation of a hyperfine qubit and ultra-short optical $\pi$ rotations, which are essential tools for creation and detection of spin-photon entanglement. To this end, we have developed optical fibre-based Fabry-Perot cavities in the ultraviolet spectral range. These cavities operate near the primary dipole transition of Yb at 370 nm, and allow us to couple a pure atomic two-level system offered by a single trapped ion to the cavity mode. A new Paul trap apparatus in an ultra-high vacuum chamber has been built which allows for the integration of these cavities at very small ion-mirror separations. In order for independent operation of the trap, a compact system of diode lasers has been built which are stabilised to low-drift optical reference cavities. Coherent control of the hyperfine qubit in Yb 171 is achieved through application of microwave radiation, and ultra-short optical $\pi$ rotations are performed with resonant light pulses derived from a frequency-doubled mode-locked titanium-sapphire laser. The experiment is controlled through a system of hardware and software which has been developed in a modular fashion and will allow for efficient control on the nanosecond time-scale when several such systems are interconnected. The success of our system opens the door to future experiments with trapped ions which will reach the strong coupling regime with a single ion. Furthermore, when operated in the fast-cavity regime, systems based on our approach will enable high-efficiency collection of photons from the ion into the single mode of an optical fibre. These systems will allow for the generation of distributed entanglement and will prove ideal as nodes in a larger quantum network of trapped ions.

Sep 22, 20170 citations

χ^{(2)}

crystal driven by a non-resonant optical pump at 1529 nm. Strong coupling enables us to demonstrate frequency conversion with an end-to-end, free-space conversion efficiency of 30(1)%, limited by current cavity design and internal cavity losses. We also demonstrate coupling between distinct spatial modes at the two frequencies, extending coherent control to the spatial basis. In conjunction with improved resonator design and low-loss nonlinear crystals, we anticipate a factor of $>$50 increase in two-mode-cooperativity for stronger coupling and near-unity conversion efficiency at low pump powers. This platform opens new avenues for cavity-QED experiments, with potential applications spanning cavity-mediated interactions between distinct atomic species, interconnects for quantum networking and modular computing, and spatially multimode cavity physics.

\pi

rotations, which are essential tools for creation and detection of spin-photon entanglement. To this end, we have developed optical fibre-based Fabry-Perot cavities in the ultraviolet spectral range. These cavities operate near the primary dipole transition of Yb at 370 nm, and allow us to couple a pure atomic two-level system offered by a single trapped ion to the cavity mode. A new Paul trap apparatus in an ultra-high vacuum chamber has been built which allows for the integration of these cavities at very small ion-mirror separations. In order for independent operation of the trap, a compact system of diode lasers has been built which are stabilised to low-drift optical reference cavities. Coherent control of the hyperfine qubit in Yb 171 is achieved through application of microwave radiation, and ultra-short optical

\pi

rotations are performed with resonant light pulses derived from a frequency-doubled mode-locked titanium-sapphire laser. The experiment is controlled through a system of hardware and software which has been developed in a modular fashion and will allow for efficient control on the nanosecond time-scale when several such systems are interconnected. The success of our system opens the door to future experiments with trapped ions which will reach the strong coupling regime with a single ion. Furthermore, when operated in the fast-cavity regime, systems based on our approach will enable high-efficiency collection of photons from the ion into the single mode of an optical fibre. These systems will allow for the generation of distributed entanglement and will prove ideal as nodes in a larger quantum network of trapped ions.