Deterministic loading of individual atoms to a high-finesse optical cavity

Individual laser-cooled atoms are delivered on demand from a single atom magneto-optic trap to a high-finesse optical cavity using an atom conveyor. Strong coupling of the atom with the cavity field allows simultaneous cooling and detection of individual atoms for time scales exceeding 15 s. The single atom scatter rate is studied as a function of probe-cavity detuning and probe Rabi frequency, and the experimental results are in qualitative agreement with theoretical predictions. We demonstrate the ability to manipulate the position of a single atom relative to the cavity mode with excellent control and reproducibility.     

Raman spectroscopy of a single ion coupled to a high-finesse cavity

We describe an ion-based cavity-QED system in which the internal dynamics of an atom is coupled to the modes of an optical cavity by vacuum-stimulated Raman transitions. We observe Raman spectra for different excitation polarizations and find quantitative agreement with theoretical simulations. Residual motion of the ion introduces motional sidebands in the Raman spectrum and leads to ion delocalization. The system offers prospects for cavity-assisted resolved-sideband ground-state cooling and coherent manipulation of ions and photons. C. Russo and H.G. Barros contributed equally to this work.     

Controlled generation of momentum states in a high-finesse ring cavity

A Bose-Einstein condensate in a high-finesse ring cavity scatters the photons of a pump beam into counterpropagating cavity modes, populating a bi-dimensional momentum lattice. A high-finesse ring cavity with a sub-recoil linewidth allows to control the quantized atomic motion, selecting particular discrete momentum states and generating atom-photon entanglement. The semiclassical and quantum model for the 2D collective atomic recoil lasing (CARL) are derived and the superradiant and good-cavity regimes discussed. For pump incidence perpendicular to the cavity axis, the momentum lattice is symmetrically populated. Conversely, for oblique pump incidence the motion along the two recoil directions is unbalanced and different momentum states can be populated on demand by tuning the pump frequency.     

Phase-matched Raman-resonant four-wave mixing in a dispersion-compensated high-finesse optical cavity

A highly efficient intracavity four-wave mixing in a Raman-active medium pumped by a continuous-wave laser is first demonstrated. Managing the intracavity dispersion to satisfy the phase matching in a high-finesse cavity substantially enhances the anti-Stokes emission. This process is observed in a region far beyond small signal approximation, indicating the generation of phase-locked sidebands arising from molecular modulation. This points to a novel approach of an optical modulator and mode-locked laser operating at a frequency of more than 10 THz.     

Strong coupling of a surface-relief dielectric grating to a structurally chiral volume grating

The boundary-value problem of the reflection and transmission of light by a composite structure, wherein a surface-relief dielectric grating is coupled to a structurally chiral volume grating, has been formulated and solved with results showing the robust co-existence of phenomena characteristic of both types of grating: namely, Rayleigh–Wood anomalies and Bragg phenomena. A mechanism to strengthen the coupling between both grating types is included – namely, a quarter wave plate – whose birefringence converts normally incident linearly polarised light at the Bragg wavelength into transmitted circularly polarised light (and vice versa). It is possible to tailor the period of the sinusoidally corrugated surface-relief grating such that the scattering of obliquely incident light from above, by the surface grating, will lead to a specific non-specular order being scattered onto a path which is normally incident on the rest of the composite structure. Significantly, such orders exhibit the circular Bragg phenomenon in reflection and transmission only if both grating types are present, making this a “truly” coupled effect.     

Emission pattern of an atomic dipole in a high-finesse optical cavity

An atom placed in a small high-finesse optical cavity will dominantly emit into modes sustained by the cavity. If the cavity supports many frequency-degenerate modes, the radiation pattern depends strongly on the position of the atom. These patterns can be used to detect the position of the atom with high sensitivity.     

Josephson junction of two-species Bose-Einstein condensates in a high-finesse optical cavity

The mean-field dynamics of undistinguishable two-species Bose Josephson junction coupled to a single mode high-finesse optical cavity is investigated.From the Hamiltonian,the phase portrait and the stationary points are given.It is shown that the role of the interspecies interaction equals the intraspecies interaction under suitable conditions.As the interspecies interaction increases,the trapped atoms will start tunneling between the two wells unnaturally for some special cases.     

Raman lasing with a cold atom gain medium in a high-finesse optical cavity

We demonstrate a Raman laser using cold (87)Rb atoms as the gain medium in a high-finesse optical cavity. We observe robust continuous wave lasing in the atypical regime where single atoms can considerably affect the cavity field. Consequently, we discover unusual lasing threshold behavior in the system causing jumps in lasing power, and propose a model to explain the effect. We also measure the intermode laser linewidth, and observe values as low as 80 Hz. The tunable gain properties of this laser suggest multiple directions for future research.     

Vacuum-stimulated raman scattering based on adiabatic passage in a high-finesse optical cavity

We report on the first observation of stimulated Raman scattering from a Lambda-type three-level atom, where the stimulation is realized by the vacuum field of a high-finesse optical cavity. The scheme produces one intracavity photon by means of an adiabatic passage technique based on a counterintuitive interaction sequence between pump laser and cavity field. This photon leaves the cavity through the less-reflecting mirror. The emission rate shows a characteristic dependence on the cavity and pump detuning, and the observed spectra have a subnatural linewidth. The results are in excellent agreement with numerical simulations.     

Input-output relations for a three-port grating coupled Fabry-Perot cavity

We analyze an optical three-port reflection grating by means of a scattering matrix formalism. Amplitude and phase relations among the three ports, i.e., the three orders of diffraction, are derived. Such a grating can be used as an all-reflective, low-loss coupler to Fabry-Perot cavities. We derive the input-output relations of a three-port grating coupled cavity and find distinct properties that are not present in two-port coupled cavities. The cavity relations further reveal that the three-port coupler can be designed such that the additional cavity port interferes destructively. In this case the all-reflective, low-loss, single-end Fabry-Perot cavity becomes equivalent to a standard transmissive, two-port coupled cavity.     

Spectral characteristics for a fiber grating external cavity laser

A numerical investigation has been carried out on the influence of the antireflection (AR) coating of laser, the coupling efficiency of laser and fiber (), and the reflectivity of fiber grating (R _g) on the side-mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of the fiber grating external cavity laser (FGECL). The FGECL was fabricated by the assembly of the multimode Fabry–Perot (FP) laser chip and fiber grating. The results showed that the FGECL with a lower AR coating, higher and R _g exhibited a better SMSR. A comparison of the SMSR dependence on the and R _g showed that SMSR increased more rapidly with increasing than SMSR for R _g. These spectral characteristic studies of the SMSR dependence on the device parameters of the AR coating, , and R _g may provide useful device designs for the practical fabrication of a FGECL for use in dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) applications.     

Coherent coupling of a single <Superscript>40</Superscript>Ca<Superscript>+</Superscript> ion to a high-finesse optical cavity

We demonstrate coherent coupling of the quadrupole S_1/2D_5/2 optical transition of a single trapped ⁴⁰Ca⁺ ion to the standing wave field of a high-finesse cavity. The dependence of the coupling on temporal dynamics and spatial variations of the intracavity field is investigated in detail. By precisely controlling the position of the ion in the cavity standing wave field and by selectively exciting vibrational state-changing transitions the ion’s quantized vibration in the trap is deterministically coupled to the cavity mode. We confirm coherent interaction of ion and cavity field by exciting Rabi oscillations with short resonant laser pulses injected into the cavity, which is frequency-stabilized to the atomic transition. Received: 23 August 2002 / Published online: 8 January 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. E-mail: christoph.becher@uibk.ac.at RID="**" ID="**"Present address: Time and Frequency Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA     

Gaussian beam diffraction by a quasi-optical grating for coupling to lower-hybrid plasma waves

This paper is dedicated to the theoretical approach to the problem of modelling quasi-optical launchers of plasma waves in the lower-hybrid range of frequencies, when a gaussian beam is the incident field. Numerical results are presented and discussed comparing the cases of a gaussian beam and a plane wave as an incident field [1].     

Wideband and high frequency stabilization of an injection-locked Nd:YAG laser to a high-finesse Fabry Perot cavity

High frequency stabilization of a 2.2-W injection-locked laser-diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser to a high-finesse optical cavity has been realized by frequency control of the master laser. With the help of an external electro-optical modulator, the feedback bandwidth was extended to 1 MHz and the frequency noise relative to the reference cavity was suppressed to 3 x 10(-4) Hz/Hz(1/2) below 1 kHz. This feedback laser system is an ideal laser source for gravitational wave detectors, which require both ultralow frequency noise and high output power.     

Low-loss silica-on-silicon two-dimensional Fabry-Perot cavity based on holographic Bragg reflectors

We report on the demonstration of an integrated slab-waveguide-based concentric Fabry-Perot resonator that employs holographic Bragg reflectors as cavity mirrors. The cavity, produced in a low-loss silica-on-silicon slab waveguide by high-fidelity deep-ultraviolet photolithographic fabrication, exhibits a reflectivity-limited Q factor of approximately 10(5). Increasing the mirror's reflectivity will provide Q values similar to those of silica-based ring resonators, whereas the folded Fabry-Perot resonator design allows access to a substantially larger free spectral range by cavity shortening.     

An external cavity diode laser using a volume holographic grating

This study presents an external cavity diode laser (ECDL) system, utilizing a volume holographic grating (VHG) and a microfabricated silicon flexure as the VHG holder. The laser design is aimed for easy assembly, controllability, and better stability of the laser cavity. The laser frequency was stabilized to a D₂ transition of rubidium at 780.247 nm, with a mode-hop-free tuning range of 16 GHz and 9.6 GHz with and without feed-forward on the diode injection current. The measured linewidth was 850 kHz in 500 s, qualified for laser cooling experiments.     

Energy coupling mechanism for pulse detonation ignition of a scramjet cavity

The effect of detonation decoupling on the ignition capability of a pulse detonation igniter in a scramjet cavity is investigated. It was observed that a strongly coupled detonation is required for igniting a fueled cavity and the ignition capability rapidly decays for a weak or slightly decoupled detonation. The pulse detonation igniter pressure and wave speed were measured at subatmospheric pressure to characterize the pressure and fill characteristics dependence on backpressure. Temperatures measurements using 100 kHz H₂O absorption measurements showed an increase in peak temperature for critically filled conditions but a decrease in bulk fluid temperature with decreasing fill time. Simultaneous schlieren and chemiluminescence measurements demonstrate that a fully coupled detonation entrains greater quantities of high-temperature and reacting fluid in the vortex formed on the edges of the detonation plume, enhancing the mixing and spreading of products into the cavity. This shedding of high-temperature intermediate species is the primary mechanism governing successful ignition in the scramjet cavity.     

Electromagnetic coupling between a metal nanoparticle grating and a metallic surface

The electromagnetic coupling between a two-dimensional grating of resonant gold nanoparticles and a gold metallic film is investigated. We report on the observation of multipeaks in the extinction spectra attributed to resonant modes of the hybrid system, resulting from the coupling between the localized plasmon of the nanoparticles with the underlying surface plasmon mode. Simulations based on the Fourier modal method give good agreement with the experimental measurements and allow for the identification of the respective contributions.     

Microtorus: a high-finesse microcavity with whispering-gallery modes

We demonstrate a 165-mu;m oblate spheroidal microcavity with a free spectral range of 383.7 GHz (3.06 nm), a resonance bandwidth of 23 MHz (quality factor Q approximately 10(7)) at 1550 nm, and finesse F>/=10(4) . The highly oblate spheroidal dielectric microcavity combines a very high Q factor, typical of microspheres, with a vastly reduced number of excited whispering-gallery modes (by 2 orders of magnitude). The very large free spectral range in this novel microcavity-a few hundred gigahertz instead of a few gigahertz as in typical microspheres-is desirable for applications in spectral analysis, narrow-linewidth optical and rf oscillators, and cavity QED.