Spectroscopy, Manipulation and Trapping of Neutral Atoms, Molecules, and Other Particles using Optical Nanofibers: A Review

TL;DR

This review discusses the advancements in using optical nanofibers for spectroscopy, trapping, and manipulation of neutral atoms and molecules, highlighting recent progress and future directions in the field.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of optical nanofiber fabrication, integration with cold atom systems, and potential applications to molecules and alternative technologies.

Findings

Progress in integrating nanofibers with laser-cooled atom systems

Development of optical trapping schemes using nanofibers

Comparison of nanofibers with alternative particle manipulation methods

Abstract

The use of tapered optical fibers, i.e., optical nanofibers, for spectroscopy and the detection of small numbers of particles, such as neutral atoms or molecules, has been gaining ground in recent years. In this review, we briefly introduce the optical nanofiber, its fabrication and optical mode propagation within. We discuss recent progress on the integration of optical nanofibers into laser-cooled atom and vapor systems, paying particular attention to spectroscopy, cold atom cloud characterization and optical trapping schemes. Next, a natural extension on this work to molecules will be introduced. Finally, we consider several alternatives to optical nanofibers that display some advantages for particular applications.