Atom-photon interactions in a system of coupled cavities

TL;DR

This paper provides a theoretical analysis of atom-photon interactions within a coupled cavity system, focusing on single atom detection, cavity finesse, and cooperativity, considering optical losses and cavity geometry effects.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed theoretical model for atom detection in a coupled cavity with semiconductor waveguides, analyzing how cavity parameters influence cooperativity and coupling.

Findings

Optical losses significantly affect cavity finesse.

Cavity geometry impacts cooperativity more than coupling strength.

Maximizing cooperativity does not necessarily maximize atom-photon coupling.

Abstract

We give a theoretical treatment of single atom detection in an compound, optical micro cavity. The cavity consists of a single mode semiconductor waveguide with a gap to allow atoms to interact with the optical field in the cavity. Optical losses, both in the semiconductor and induced by the gap are considered and we give an estimate of the cavity finesse. We also compute the cooperativity parameter and show how it depends on the gap width and cavity length. Maximization of the cooperativity does not always correspond to maximization of the coupling.