The integration of fibre optics for atom chips

Stephen John Helsby

Published Mar 1, 2008• 0 citations

Abstract

This thesis reports on the progress made towards the integration of fibre optics components for the atom chip, a device developed to manipulate matter on the atomic scale for the purpose of quantum information processing, novel applications, and fundamental research. Following in the direction of the electronics industry, miniaturisation has resulted in exquisite control of cold atoms above surfaces, allowing the vision of a matter wave toolbox to come closer to fruition. However, although the size of the components necessary for guiding atoms via magnetic or electrostatic fields has been greatly reduced, there is still a need to scale down the optical components. The development of these cavities is detailed in this thesis, from early use of evaporated gold coated mirrors to the fully integral solution of photorefractive Bragg gratings. In addition to a thorough analysis of the optical properties of these fibre gap cavities, experimental results indicate that these gap cavity devices can be constructed with the sensitivity necessary for single atom detection.

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