Quantum Optical Physics with Neutral-Atom Waveguide-QED

Informazioni relative al progetto

NanoAtom

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: 101097755

DOI

10.3030/101097755

Data della firma CE 4 Ottobre 2023

Data di avvio 1 Ottobre 2023

Data di completamento 30 Settembre 2028

Finanziato da

• European Research Council (ERC)

Costo totale

€ 2 498 750,00

Contributo UE

€ 2 498 750,00

Coordinato da

SORBONNE UNIVERSITE
France

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NanoAtom (Quantum Optical Physics with Neutral-Atom Waveguide-QED)

Periodo di rendicontazione: 2023-10-01 al 2026-03-31

Sintesi del contesto e degli obiettivi generali del progetto

The interaction between cold atoms and nanophotonic devices offers a powerful way to control how light and matter interact – essential for advancing quantum technologies. These systems can create strong connections between atoms and light, allow atoms to interact over long distances and produce unique effects that classical methods cannot achieve. However, while this area has been extensively studied theoretically, experimental progress has lagged behind. The ERC-funded NanoAtom project will work to develop a state-of-the-art platform where cold atoms are precisely trapped near photonic-crystal waveguides. Researchers will leverage specific materials, advanced waveguide designs and novel atom delivery techniques to develop the full potential of this emerging field.

Lavoro eseguito dall’inizio del progetto fino alla fine del periodo coperto dalla relazione e principali risultati finora ottenuti

The NanoAtom project aims at harnessing the new paradigm offered by the coupling of cold atoms to nanoscopic photonic-crystal (PhC) waveguides. Tailored dispersion relations offer regimes for light-matter interaction beyond conventional settings. Over the reporting period, a dedicated team has been assembled, and progresses along the two main experimental building blocks were obtained: a dedicated cold-atom setup has been upgraded to enable versatile single-atom tweezers and atom transport, including via spatially-structured beams, while structure design and nanofabrication has enabled to obtained a variety of PhC waveguides that can now be integrated to the main setup.

Progressi oltre lo stato dell’arte e potenziale impatto previsto (incluso l’impatto socioeconomico e le implicazioni sociali più ampie del progetto fino ad ora)

To facilitate the robustness and scalability of the waveguides, NanoAtom relies on a relatively new material for the field, Gallium Indium Phosphide (GaInP). This material, which is grown and routinely processed at C2N, provides a strong advantage relative to the existing SiN-based devices. The project has developed so-called half-W1 waveguides, characterized by extremely flat dispersion relations. By adding inverse design, injection and mode matching are now optimized. The structures are succesfuly fabricated and being integrated in the atomic platform.

A second result of the reporting period is the demonstration of single-atom trapping in higher-order spatial modes and in superpositions of higher-order Laguerre-Gaussian modes. Such tweezers provide improved localization with narrowed axial intensity distribution and potentially enable to suppress interference fringes from reflection, thanks to a rapid change of the Gouy phase of this superposition. This technique can potentially be a game changer to integrate atom transport and nanostructures, with applications to other systems.