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High Resolution Phonon-assisted Quasi-resonance Fluorescence Spectroscopy
Published on: June 28, 2016
Strong coupling between single atoms and nontransversal photons
Christian Junge1, Danny O'Shea, Jürgen Volz
1Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology, Atominstitut, Vienna University of Technology, 1020 Vienna, Austria.
Physical Review Letters
|June 11, 2013
Summary
Light waves usually have electric fields perpendicular to their direction. However, light in microresonators can have a longitudinal component, fundamentally changing light-matter interactions.
Area of Science:
- Quantum optics
- Atomic physics
- Photonics
Background:
- Light is typically considered a transverse wave, with its electric field oscillating perpendicular to its propagation direction.
- Dielectric structures like optical waveguides and microresonators can confine light, leading to a significant longitudinal polarization component.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally and theoretically investigate the impact of longitudinal light polarization on light-matter interactions.
- To demonstrate how confined light's polarization affects atomic behavior within a microresonator.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing single Rubidium-85 ((85)Rb) atoms.
- Employing a whispering-gallery-mode microresonator for light confinement.
- Combining experimental measurements with theoretical modeling.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated the existence of a strong longitudinal polarization component for light confined in a whispering-gallery-mode microresonator.
- Showcased that this longitudinal polarization fundamentally alters the interaction dynamics between single (85)Rb atoms and light.
Conclusions:
- The presence of longitudinal polarization in confined light is a crucial factor in light-matter interactions.
- This finding challenges the conventional understanding of light polarization and its effects in photonic structures.
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