Hannover 2020 – scientific programme

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SYAI: Symposium Trends in atom interferometry

SYAI 1: Trends in atom interferometry

SYAI 1.4: Invited Talk

Monday, March 9, 2020, 15:30–16:00, e415

Atoms and molecules interacting with light — •Lucia Hackermüller — School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK

Large, complex and massive particles can show interference effects in a Talbot-Lau interferometer reaching beyond 10000 amu. I will detail the operation principle and touch upon recent records achieved in the group of M. Arndt and discuss interferometry applications for cold atoms.

For quantum information applications efficient atom-photon interactions are important. For this we have constructed an atom-light interface, where cold atoms are introduced into an orthogonal hole in an optical fibre. This method allows the construction of a highly compact and robust interface that is compatible with many existing waveguide and chip technologies. For this caesium atoms are cooled in a magneto-optical trap, transferred to an optical dipole trap and positioned inside a transverse, 30 µm diameter through-hole in an optical fibre, created via laser micromachining. We trap about 300 atoms at a temperature of 140 µK. When the guided light is on resonance with the caesium D2 line, up to 87% of it is absorbed by the atoms. We also discuss the influence of hole shapes on transmission and prospects of adding a micro-cavity. Our techniques should be equally effective in optical waveguide chips and other existing photonic systems.