Mainz 2017 – scientific programme
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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik
Q 56: Optomechanics II
Q 56.5: Talk
Friday, March 10, 2017, 15:30–15:45, P 4
Collective atom-light interactions in an atom-optomechanical system — •Aline Faber1, Tobias Kampschulte2, Niels Lörch1, Klemens Hammerer3, and Philipp Treutlein1 — 1Universität Basel, Departement Physik — 2Universität Ulm, Institut für Quantenmaterie — 3Universität Hannover, Institut für theoretische Physik
Collective effects in atomic ensembles originating from the dispersive atom-light interaction have been observed in optical cavities but are not well studied in free space systems.
Here we report on an experiment with our hybrid atom-membrane system in which light-mediated atom-atom interactions in a free space ensemble strongly influence the atom-membrane dynamics. In our system the fundamental vibration of a Si3N4 membrane is coupled to the motion of atoms in an optical lattice over a macroscopic distance via the lattice light itself. Collective effects between the atoms lead to a significant phase delay in the atomic back-action onto the lattice light which induces an instability in the coupled system if the coupling is large enough. The latter can be observed by probing the membrane displacement. In this experiment the membrane thus acts as a sensitive detector for the collective atomic-light interactions, demonstrating the possibilities of the hybrid system for sensing and signal transduction.