State-Insensitive Trapping of Alkaline-Earth Atoms in a Nanofiber-Based Optical Dipole Trap
Date
2023-10-12
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
PRX Quantum
Abstract
Neutral atoms that are optically trapped using the evanescent fields surrounding optical nanofibers are a promising platform for developing quantum technologies and exploring fundamental science, such as quantum networks and many-body physics of interacting photons. Building on the successful advancements with trapped alkali atoms, here we trap strontium-88 atoms, an alkaline-earth element, in a state-insensitive, nanofiber-based optical dipole trap using the evanescent fields of an optical nanofiber. Employing a two-color, double magic-wavelength trapping scheme, we realize state-insensitive trapping of the atoms for the kilohertz-wide 5s21S0−5s5p3P1,|m|=1 intercombination transition, which we verify by performing high-resolution spectroscopy for an atom-surface distance of about 300 nm. This allows us to experimentally find and verify the state insensitivity of the trap nearby a theoretically predicted magic wavelength of 435.827(25) nm, a necessary step to confirm precision atomic physics calculations. Alkaline-earth atoms also exhibit nonmagnetic ground states and ultranarrow linewidth transitions making them ideal candidates for atomic clocks and precision metrology applications, especially with state-insensitive traps. Additionally, given the low collisional scattering length specific to strontium-88, this work also lays the foundation for developing versatile and robust matter-wave atomtronic circuits over nanophotonic waveguides.
Description
This article was originally published in PRX Quantum. The version of record is available at: http://doi.org/10.1103/PRXQuantum.4.040308
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Citation
Kestler, G., K. Ton, D. Filin, C. Cheung, P. Schneeweiss, T. Hoinkes, J. Volz, M.S. Safronova, A. Rauschenbeutel, and J.T. Barreiro. “State-Insensitive Trapping of Alkaline-Earth Atoms in a Nanofiber-Based Optical Dipole Trap.” PRX Quantum 4, no. 4 (October 12, 2023): 040308. https://doi.org/10.1103/PRXQuantum.4.040308.