2023/11/13 by Adrian Orozco, Orozco, Adrian, William Kindel +12
Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Frequency and Time Standards #Astronomical interferometer #Atom (system on chip) #Atom interferometer #Atom optics #Atomic and Subatomic Physics Research #Atomic physics #Coherence (philosophical gambling strategy) #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #Interferometry #Laser #Materials science #Nanofiber #Nanotechnology #Optical power #Optics #Optoelectronics #Physics #Quantum mechanics
paper · pdf · doi:10.1116/5.0309355
published in AVS Quantum Science 8(3)
openalex created_date 2023/11/15 · openalex publication_date 2026/07/16 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Recent advances in cold atom interferometry with optical and magnetic atom guides have set the stage for quantum inertial sensors capable of operating in dynamic environments. In this work, we present three key innovations—evanescent-field (EF) atom guides, optical nanofiber testbeds, and membrane-waveguide photonic integrated circuit (PIC) platforms—to advance EF-guided atom interferometry. First, we demonstrate EF atom guides on optical nanofiber testbeds, which serve as performance benchmarks for our membrane-waveguide PIC platforms. Second, we achieve low-power (∼5 mW) guiding of freely moving, laser-cooled 133Cs atoms in two-color, traveling-wave EF optical dipole traps at the novel, heat-efficient magic wavelengths of 793 and 937 nm (i.e., “793/937-nm EF atom guides”). Concurrently, we design and fabricate membrane-waveguide PIC platforms for these EF atom guides; in our prior work, we showed that these structures safely accommodate 4–6 times the required optical trap power under vacuum and enable dense cold atom generation via magneto-optical trapping in the vicinity of the optical wavguide for efficient loading. Third, we verify preserved atomic coherence via microwave fields and EF-coupled Doppler-free Raman beams; to our knowledge, this is the first report of coherence fringes driven by co-propagating EF-coupled Raman beams with only 150 nW of total optical power. By providing a direct comparison between optical nanofiber testbeds and membrane-waveguide PIC platforms, our results lay critical groundwork for the on-chip realization of EF-guided atom interferometry and the development of fully integrated, compact, lightweight, and low-power quantum accelerometers and gyroscopes.