Cavity QED with atomic mirrors

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel method for achieving strong, coherent atom-photon coupling in nanofiber-based systems by utilizing collective effects to form high-finesse cavities, enabling scalable quantum networks.

Contribution

It presents a new technique leveraging collective enhancement to create high-finesse cavities within nanofibers, facilitating strong coupling with a designated impurity atom.

Findings

Strong coupling regime achievable with realistic parameters

Vacuum Rabi oscillations observable between impurity atom and cavity photon

Potential for scalable quantum information networks

Abstract

A promising approach to merge atomic systems with scalable photonics has emerged recently, which consists of trapping cold atoms near tapered nanofibers. Here, we describe a novel technique to achieve strong, coherent coupling between a single atom and photon in such a system. Our approach makes use of collective enhancement effects, which allow a lattice of atoms to form a high-finesse cavity within the fiber. We show that a specially designated "impurity" atom within the cavity can experience strongly enhanced interactions with single photons in the fiber. Under realistic conditions, a "strong coupling" regime can be reached, wherein it becomes feasible to observe vacuum Rabi oscillations between the excited impurity atom and a single cavity quantum. This technique can form the basis for a scalable quantum information network using atom-nanofiber systems.