We experimentally demonstrate a ring geometry all-fiber cavity system for cavity quantum electrodynamics with an ensemble of cold atoms. The fiber cavity contains a nanofiber section which mediates atom-light interactions through an evanescent field. We observe well-resolved, vacuum Rabi splitting of the cavity transmission spectrum in the weak driving limit due to a collective enhancement of the coupling rate by the ensemble of atoms within the evanescent field, and we present a simple theoretical model to describe this. In addition, we demonstrate a method to control and stabilize the resonant frequency of the cavity by utilizing the thermal properties of the nanofiber.
We present the realization of a combined trapped-ion and optical cavity system, in which a single Yb^+ ion is confined by a micron-scale ion trap inside a 230 mum-long optical fiber cavity. We characterize the spatial ion-cavity coupling and measure the ion-cavity coupling strength using a cavity-stimulated Lambda-transition. Owing to the small mode volume of the fiber resonator, the coherent coupling strength between the ion and a single photon exceeds the natural decay rate of the dipole moment. This system can be integrated into ion-photon quantum networks and is a step towards cavity quant…
We present a light-matter interface which consists of a single $^{174}$Yb$^+$ ion coupled to an optical fiber-cavity. We observe that photons at 935 nm are mainly emitted into the cavity mode and that correlations between the polarization of the photon and the spin state of the ion are preserved despite the intrinsic coupling into a single-mode fiber. Complementary, when a faint coherent light field is injected into the cavity mode we find enhanced and polarization dependent absorption by the ion.
We observe a sixfold Purcell broadening of the D$_2$ line of an optically trapped $^{87}\text{Rb}$ atom strongly coupled to a fiber cavity. Under external illumination by a near-resonant laser, up to $90\%$ of the atom's fluorescence is emitted into the resonant cavity mode. The sub-Poissonian statistics of the cavity output and the Purcell enhancement of the atomic decay rate are confirmed by the observation of a strongly narrowed antibunching dip in the photon autocorrelation function. The photon leakage through the higher-transmission mirror of the single-sided resonator is the dominant con…
We prepare a maximally entangled state of two ions and couple both ions to the mode of an optical cavity. The phase of the entangled state determines the collective interaction of the ions with the cavity mode, that is, whether the emission of a single photon into the cavity is suppressed or enhanced. By adjusting this phase, we tune the ion--cavity system from sub- to superradiance. We then encode a single qubit in the two-ion superradiant state and show that this encoding enhances the transfer of quantum information onto a photon.
The entanglement characteristics including the so-called sudden death effect between two identical two-level atoms trapped in two separate cavities connected by an optical fiber are studied. The results show that the time evolution of entanglement is sensitive not only to the degree of entanglement of the initial state but also to the ratio between cavity-fiber coupling () and atom-cavity coupling (). This means that the entanglement dynamics can be controlled by choosing specific v and g.
We investigate experimentally and theoretically the collective coupling between atoms with multilevel ground state manifolds and an optical cavity mode. In our setup the cavity field optically pumps populations among the ground states. The ensuing dynamics can be conveniently described by means of an effective dynamical atom-cavity coupling strength that depends on the occupation of the individual states and their coupling strengths with the cavity mode. This leads to a dynamical backaction of the atomic populations on the atom-cavity coupling strength which results in a non-exponential relaxa…
We present a numerical study of a MEMS-based design of a fiber cavity integrated with an ion trap system. Each fiber mirror is supported by a microactuator that controls the mirror's position in three dimensions. The mechanical stability is investigated by a feasibility analysis showing that the actuator offers a stable support of the fiber. The actuators move the fibers' positions continuously with a stroke of more than 10 $μ$m, with mechanical resonance frequencies on the order of kHz. A calculation of the trapping potential shows that a separation between ion and fiber consistent with stron…
We propose a quantum memory protocol based on trapping photons in a fiber-integrated cavity, comprised of a birefringent fiber with dichroic reflective end facets. Photons are switched into resonance with the fiber cavity by intracavity Bragg-scattering frequency translation, driven by ancillary control pulses. After the storage delay, photons are switched out of resonance with the cavity, again by intracavity frequency translation. We demonstrate storage of quantum-level THz-bandwidth coherent states for a lifetime up to 16 cavity round trips, or 200ns, and a maximum overall efficiency of 73%…
We study the interaction of an atom with a quantum guided field in a weakly driven fiber-Bragg-grating (FBG) cavity. We present an effective Hamiltonian and derive the density-matrix equations for the combined atom-cavity system. We calculate the mean photon number, the second-order photon correlation function, and the atomic excited-state population. We show that, due to the confinement of the guided cavity field in the fiber cross-section plane and in the space between the FBG mirrors, the presence of the atom in the FBG cavity can significantly affect the mean photon number and the photon s…
We present an ion trap with an integrated fiber cavity, designed for strong coupling at the level of single ions and photons. The cavity is aligned to the axis of a miniature linear Paul trap, enabling simultaneous coupling of multiple ions to the cavity field. We simulate how charges on the fiber mirrors affect the trap potential, and we test these predictions with an ion trapped in the cavity. Furthermore, we measure micromotion and heating rates in the setup.
We demonstrate an all-fiber cavity QED system with a trapped single atom in the strong coupling regime. We use a nanofiber Fabry-Perot cavity, that is, an optical nanofiber sandwiched by two fiber-Bragg-grating mirrors. Measurements of the cavity transmission spectrum with a single atom in a state-insensitive nanofiber trap clearly reveal the vacuum Rabi splitting.
We study the behavior of a single laser-driven trapped ion inside a microscopic optical Fabry-Perot cavity. In particular, we demonstrate a fiber Fabry-Perot cavity operating on the principal $S_{1/2}\to P_{1/2}$ electric dipole transition of an Yb$^+$ ion at $369\,$nm with an atom-ion coupling strength of $g=2π\times 67(1)\,$MHz. We employ the cavity to study the generation of single photons and observe cavity-induced back-action in the Purcell-enhanced emission of photons. Tuning of the amplitude and phase of the back-action allows us to enhance or suppress the total rate of photoemission fr…
The distributed quantum computation plays an important role in large-scale quantum information processing. In the atom-cavity-fiber system, we put forward two efficient proposals to prepare the steady entanglement of two distant atoms with dissipation. The atomic spontaneous emission and the loss of fiber are exploited actively as powerful resources, while the effect of cavity decay is inhibited by quantum Zeno dynamics and quantum-jump-based feedback control. These proposals do not require precisely tailored Rabi frequencies or coupling strength between cavity and fiber. Furthermore, we discu…
We demonstrate highly efficient coupling of light from an optical fiber to a silicon photonic crystal optomechanical cavity. The fiber-to-cavity coupling utilizes a compact (L ~ 25 um) intermediate adiabatic coupler. The optical coupling is lithographically controlled, broadband, relatively insensitive to fiber misalignment, and allows for light to be transferred from an optical fiber to, in principle, any photonic chip with refractive index greater than that of the optical fiber. Here we demonstrate single-sided cavity coupling with a total fiber-to-cavity optical power coupling efficiency of…
We study the role of stimulated Brillouin scattering in a fiber cavity by numerical simulations and a simple theoretical model and find good agreement between experiment, simulation and theory. We also investigate an optomechanical system based on a fiber cavity in the presence on the nonlinear Brillouin scattering. Using simulation and theory, we show that this hybrid optomechanical system increases optomechanical damping for low mechanical resonance frequencies in the unresolved sideband regime. Furthermore, optimal damping occurs for blue detuning in stark contrast to standard optomechanics…
We develop a one-step scheme for generating multiparticle entangled states between two cold atomic clouds in distant cavities coupled by an optical fiber. We show that, through suitably choosing the intensities and detunings of the fields and precisely tuning the time evolution of the system, multiparticle entanglement between the separated atomic clouds can be engineered deterministically, in which quantum manipulations are insensitive to the states of the cavity and losses of the fiber. The experimental feasibility of this scheme is analyzed based on recent experimental advances in the reali…
Programmable cavity QED with a fiber-integrated atomic array
Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)（奥地利科学技术研究院）；Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology, Atominstitut, TU Wien（维也纳量子科学与技术中心，原子物理研究所，维也纳工业大学）
We propose a scheme for high quantum state transfer efficiency between two distant mechanical oscillators. Through coupling separately to two optical cavities connected by an optical fiber, two distant mechanical oscillators achieve a transfer efficiency closing to unity. In the process of analysis, we employed time-varying optomechanical coupling strength as a Gaussian pulse.
We demonstrate continuous loading of strontium atoms into a high finesse ring cavity and observe continuous strong collective coupling in the form of a vacuum Rabi splitting between the atoms and the cavity on the 7.5 kHz transition $^1{\rm S}_0$ to $^3{\rm P}_1$. The atoms are loaded into the cavity from a 3D narrow linewidth molasses, thus avoiding large magnetic field gradients and associated broadening of transition frequencies. The ring cavity allows us to realize a deterministic conveyor belt to transport atoms away from the loading region where the laser cooling beams lead to broadening…
We have realized a fiber-based Fabry-Perot cavity with CO2 laser-machined mirrors. It combines very small size, high finesse F>=130000, small waist and mode volume, and good mode matching between the fiber and cavity modes. This combination of features is a major advance for cavity quantum electrodynamics (CQED), as shown in recent CQED experiments with Bose-Einstein condensates enabled by this cavity [Y. Colombe et al., Nature 450, 272 (2007)]. It should also be suitable for a wide range of other applications, including coupling to solid-state emitters, gas detection at the single-particle le…
When cavity photons couple to an optical fiber with a continuum of modes, they usually leak out within a finite amount of time. However, if the fiber is about one meter long and linked to a mirror, photons bounce back and forth within the fiber on a much faster time scale. As a result, {\em dynamical decoupling} prevents the cavity photons from entering the fiber. In this paper we use the simultaneous dynamical decoupling of a large number of distant cavities from the fiber modes of linear optics networks to mediate effective cavity-cavity interactions in a huge variety of configurations. Cohe…
We study an atom-cavity system in which the cavity has several degenerate transverse modes. Mode-resolved cavity transmission spectroscopy reveals well-resolved atom-cavity resonances for several cavity modes, a signature of collective strong coupling for the different modes. Furthermore, the experiment shows that the cavity modes are coupled via the atomic ensemble contained in the cavity. The experimental observations are supported by a detailed theoretical analysis. The work paves the way to the use of interacting degenerate modes in cavity-based quantum information processing, where qubits…
We present experiments on ensemble cavity quantum electrodynamics with cold potassium atoms in a high-finesse ring cavity. Potassium-39 atoms are cooled in a two-dimensional magneto-optical trap and transferred to a three-dimensional trap which intersects the cavity mode. The apparatus is described in detail and the first observations of strong coupling with potassium atoms are presented. Collective strong coupling of atoms and light is demonstrated via the splitting of the cavity transmission spectrum and the avoided crossing of the normal modes.
We describe an optomechanical device consisting of a fiber-based optical cavity containing a silicon nitiride membrane. In comparison with typical free-space cavities, the fiber-cavity's small mode size (10 μm waist, 80 μm length) allows the use of smaller, lighter membranes and increases the cavity-membrane linear coupling to 3 GHz/nm and quadratic coupling to 20 GHz/nm^2. This device is also intrinsically fiber-coupled and uses glass ferrules for passive alignment. These improvements will greatly simplify the use of optomechanical systems, particularly in cryogenic settings. At room temperat…
The development of efficient network nodes is a key element for the realisation of quantum networks which promise great capabilities as distributed quantum computing or provable secure communication. We report the realisation of a quantum network node using a trapped ion inside a fiber-based Fabry-Perot cavity. We show the generation of deterministic entanglement at a high fidelity of $ 91.2(2) $\,\% between a trapped Yb--ion and a photon emitted into the resonator mode. We achieve a success probability for generation and detection of entanglement for a single shot of $ 2.5 \cdot 10^{-3}$ resu…
We study a fully on-fiber optomechanical cavity and characterize its performance as a sensor. The cavity is formed by patterning a suspended metallic mirror near the tip of an optical fiber and by introducing a static reflector inside the fiber. Optically induced self-excited oscillation (SEO) is observed above a threshold value of the injected laser power. The SEO phase can be synchronized by periodically modulating the optical power that is injected into the cavity. Noise properties of the system in the region of synchronization are investigated. Moreover, the spectrum is measured near diffe…
A semiclassical model is presented for characterizing the linear response of elementary quantum optical systems involving cavities, optical fibers, and atoms. Formulating the transmission and reflection spectra using a scattering-wave (transfer matrix) approach, the calculations become easily scalable. To demonstrate how useful this method is, we consider the example of a simple quantum network, i.e., two cavity-QED systems connected via an optical fiber. Differences between our quasi-exact transfer matrix approach and a single-mode, linearized quantum-optical model are demonstrated for parame…
We report the realization of a device based on a single Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond coupled to a fiber-cavity for use as single photon source (SPS). The device consists of two concave mirrors each directly fabricated on the facets of two optical fibers and a preselected nanodiamond containing a single NV center deposited onto one of these mirrors. Both, cavity in- and output are directly fiber-coupled and the emission wavelength is easily tunable by variation of the separation of the two mirrors with a piezo-electric crystal. By coupling to the cavity we achieve an increase of the …
We observe vacuum Rabi splitting in a lossy nearly confocal cavity indicating the strong coupling regime, despite a weak single-atom single-mode coupling. Strong collective interaction manifests itself in the typical $\sqrt{N}$-dependence of the normal mode splitting on the number of atoms $N$. The $TEM_{00}$-mode coupling parameters are $(g,κ,γ)=2π\times(0.12,0.8,2.6)$ MHz and up to $(1.33\pm 0.08)\times10^5$ cesium atoms were loaded into the mode volume.
We demonstrate continuous measurement and coherent control of the collective spin of an atomic ensemble undergoing Larmor precession in a high-finesse optical cavity. The coupling of the precessing spin to the cavity field yields phenomena similar to those observed in cavity optomechanics, including cavity amplification, damping, and optical spring shifts. These effects arise from autonomous optical feedback onto the atomic spin dynamics, conditioned by the cavity spectrum. We use this feedback to stabilize the spin in either its high- or low-energy state, where, in equilibrium with measuremen…
We present and characterize fiber mirrors and a miniaturized ion-trap design developed to integrate a fiber-based Fabry-Perot cavity (FFPC) with a linear Paul trap for use in cavity-QED experiments with trapped ions. Our fiber-mirror fabrication process not only enables the construction of FFPCs with small mode volumes, but also allows us to minimize the influence of the dielectric fiber mirrors on the trapped-ion pseudopotential. We discuss the effect of clipping losses for long FFPCs and the effect of angular and lateral displacements on the coupling efficiencies between cavity and fiber. Op…
Quantum entanglement is important quanum resources in quantum information sicence. Here we propose an approach to {preparing} atomic quantum entanglement in a hybrid atom-cavity-fiber system. Using quantum Zeno dynamics method, the system evolution states are always split into a series of Zeno invariant {subspaces} consisting of dark and bright states. By choosing the initial state of the system, the bright states are all neglected and only dark states are kept to build the effective Hamiltonian. By tuning the system parameters, two-atom multiple-dimensional entanglement, two-atom Bell state, …
We propose a scheme for single-atom, quantum control of the direction of propagation of a coherent field incident, via a tapered fiber, upon a microtoroidal whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) resonator. The scheme involves overcoupling of the fiber-taper to the resonator and strong coupling of an atom to the evanescent field of the WGM, i.e., an atom-field coupling that exceeds the total WGM linewidth. In contrast to previous, related schemes that operate in the bad-cavity regime, the proposed scheme can operate effectively with much stronger incident fields, while also preserving their coherent na…
Fiber Fabry-Perot cavities, formed by micro-machined mirrors on the end-facets of optical fibers, are used in an increasing number of technical and scientific applications, where they typically require precise stabilization of their optical resonances. Here, we study two different approaches to construct fiber Fabry-Perot resonators and stabilize their length for experiments in cavity quantum electrodynamics with neutral atoms. A piezo-mechanically actuated cavity with feedback based on the Pound-Drever-Hall locking technique is compared to a novel rigid cavity design that makes use of the hig…
We present a novel method of machining optical fiber surfaces with a CO${}_2$ laser for use in Fiber-based Fabry-Perot Cavities (FFPCs). Previously FFPCs were prone to large birefringence and limited to relatively short cavity lengths ($\le$ 200 $μ$m). These characteristics hinder their use in some applications such as cavity quantum electrodynamics with trapped ions. We optimized the laser machining process to produce large, uniform surface structures. This enables the cavities to achieve high finesse even for long cavity lengths. By rotating the fibers around their axis during the laser mach…
We investigate the transmission spectrum of an optical cavity coupled with four-level atoms. Multiple normal-mode splitting peaks of the strongly coupled atom-cavity system are obtained as single cavity mode couples three separated atomic transitions simultaneously. We employ a confocal optical cavity and an ensemble of cold Rb-85 atoms for cavity quantum electrodynamics. We observe four normal-mode splitting peaks of the cavity transmission in the strong coupling regime due to collective enhancement of the atom-cavity coupling strength by ensemble of cold atoms. The experimental observations …
A technique is demonstrated which efficiently transfers light between a tapered standard single-mode optical fiber and a resonant mode of a high-Q photonic crystal cavity with mode volume less than a cubic wavelength in size. Cavity mode quality factors of 4.7 x 10^4 are measured, and a total fiber-to-cavity coupling efficiency of 44% is demonstrated.
Realization of quantum photonic devices requires coupling single quantum emitters to the mode of optical resonators. In this work we present a hybrid system consisting of defect centers in few-layer hBN grown by chemical vapor deposition and a fiber-based Fabry-Perot cavity. The sub 10 nm thickness of hBN and its smooth surface enables efficient integration into the cavity mode. We operate our hybrid platform over a broad spectral range larger than 30 nm and use its tuneability to explore different coupling regimes. Consequently, we achieve very large cavity-assisted signal enhancement up to 5…
We study collective effects in an inhomogeneously broadened ensemble of two-level emitters coupled to an optical cavity with narrow linewidth. Using second order mean field theory we find that the emitters within a few times the cavity linewidth exhibit synchronous behaviour and undergo collective Rabi oscillations. Under proper conditions, the synchronized oscillations give rise to a modulated intracavity field which can excite emitters detuned by many linewidths from the cavity resonance. To study the synchronization in further detail, we simplify the model and consider two ensembles and stu…
We study the transmission spectra of ultracold rubidium atoms coupled to a high-finesse optical cavity. Under weak probing with pi-polarized light, the linear response of the system is that of a collective spin with multiple levels coupled to a single mode of the cavity. By varying the atom number, we change the collective coupling of the system. We observe the change in transmission spectra when going from a regime where the collective coupling is much smaller than the separation of the atomic levels to a regime where both are of comparable size. The observations are in good agreement with a …
This paper discusses a collective quantum effect which might play an important role in sonoluminescence experiments. We suggest that it occurs during the final stages of the collapse phase and enhances the heating of the particles inside the bubble.
A collective system of atoms in a high quality cavity can be described by a nonlinear interaction which arises due to the Lamb shift of the energy levels due to the cavity vacuum [Agarwal et al., Phys. Rev. A 56, 2249 (1997)]. We show how this collective interaction can be used to perform quantum logic. In particular we produce schemes to realize CNOT gates not only for two-qubit but also for three-qubit systems. We also discuss realizations of Toffoli gates. Our effective Hamiltonian is also realized in other systems such as trapped ions or magnetic molecules.
In this work we present a platform for testing the device performance of a cavity-emitter system, using an ensemble of emitters and a tapered optical fiber. This method provides high-contrast spectra of the cavity modes, selective detection of emitters coupled to the cavity, and an estimate of the device performance in the single- emitter case. Using nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond and a GaP optical microcavity, we are able to tune the cavity onto the NV resonance at 10 K, couple the cavity-coupled emission to a tapered fiber, and measure the fiber-coupled NV spontaneous emission deca…
When N driven atoms emit in phase into a high-Q cavity mode, the intracavity field generated by collective scattering interferes destructively with the pump driving the atoms. Hence atomic fluorescence is suppressed and cavity loss becomes the dominant decay channel for the whole ensemble. Microscopically 3D light-intensity minima are formed in the vicinity of the atoms that prevent atomic excitation and form a regular lattice. The effect gets more pronounced for large atom numbers, when the sum of the atomic decay rates exceeds the rate of cavity losses and one would expect the opposite behav…
In fiber based Fabry-Pérot Cavities (FFPCs), limited spatial mode matching between the cavity mode and input/output modes has been the main hindrance for many applications. We have demonstrated a versatile mode matching method for FFPCs. Our novel design employs an assembly of a graded-index and large core multimode fiber directly spliced to a single mode fiber. This all-fiber assembly transforms the propagating mode of the single mode fiber to match with the mode of a FFPC. As a result, we have measured a mode matching of 90\% for a cavity length of $\sim$400 $μm$. This is a significant impro…
We investigate the role of collective effects in the micromaser system as used in various studies of the physics of cavity electrodynamics. We focus our attention on the effect on large-time correlations due to multi-atom interactions. The influence of detection efficiencies and collective effects on the appearance of trapping states at low temperatures is also found to be of particular importance.
A high-fidelity source of identical single photons is essential for numerous quantum technologies such as quantum repeaters and optical quantum information processing. Hallmarks thereof are a near-unity single-photon purity, near-unity indistinguishability of consecutively emitted photons, and high brightness through a near-unity number of photons per time bin. In order to embed such sources in quantum networks, optical fiber integration is essential but complicated by cryogenic compatability and noise. Here we demonstrate a resonantly pumped, quantum dot (QD) based, transmission operated, sin…
We study the excitation dynamics of an inhomogeneously broadened spin ensemble coupled to a single cavity mode. The collective excitations of the spin ensemble can be described in terms of generalized spin waves and, in the absence of the cavity, the free evolution of the spin ensemble can be described as a drift in the wave number without dispersion. In this article we show that the dynamics in the presence of coupling to the cavity mode can be described solely by a modified time evolution of the wave numbers. In particular, we show that collective excitations with a well- defined wave number…
