Integrated Optical Dipole Trap for Cold Neutral Atoms with an Optical Waveguide Coupler

TL;DR

This paper proposes an integrated optical waveguide coupler-based dipole trap for cold neutral atoms, offering scalable, efficient trapping with reduced broadening and no need for optical lattices.

Contribution

It introduces a novel integrated waveguide design for atom trapping, enhancing scalability and reducing inhomogeneous broadening compared to nanofiber traps.

Findings

Supports large atomic ensembles with high optical depth

Reduces inhomogeneous Zeeman broadening at the trap region

Eliminates the need for 1-D optical lattices

Abstract

An integrated optical dipole trap uses two-color (red and blue-detuned) traveling evanescent wave fields for trapping cold neutral atoms. To achieve longitudinal confinement, we propose using an integrated optical waveguide coupler, which provides a potential gradient along the beam propagation direction sufficient to confine atoms. This integrated optical dipole trap can support an atomic ensemble with a large optical depth due to its small mode area. Its quasi-TE0 waveguide mode has an advantage over the HE11 mode of a nanofiber, with little inhomogeneous Zeeman broadening at the trapping region. The longitudinal confinement eliminates the need for a 1-D optical lattice, reducing collisional blockaded atomic loading, potentially producing larger ensembles. The waveguide trap allows for scalability and integrability with nano-fabrication technology. We analyze the potential performance of such integrated atom traps.