Single collective excitation of an atomic array trapped along a waveguide: a study of cooperative emission for different atomic chain configurations

Abstract

Ordered atomic arrays trapped in the vicinity of nanoscale waveguides offer original light-matter interfaces, with applications to quantum information and quantum non-linear optics. Here, we study the decay dynamics of a single collective atomic excitation coupled to a waveguide in different configurations. The atoms are arranged as a linear array and only a segment of them is excited to a superradiant mode and emits light into the waveguide. Additional atomic chains placed on one or both sides play a passive role, either reflecting or absorbing this emission. We show that when varying the geometry, such a one-dimensional atomic system could be able to redirect the emitted light, to directionally reduce or enhance it, and in some cases to localize it in a cavity formed by the atomic mirrors bounding the system.

13 pages, 7 figures

References in corpus (7)

• Chiral Quantum Optics
• Persistent Quantum Beats and Long-Distance Entanglement from Waveguide-Mediated Interactions
• Demonstration of a memory for tightly guided light in an optical nanofiber
• Storage of fiber-guided light in a nanofiber-trapped ensemble of cold atoms
• Anisotropy in scattering of light from an atom into the guided modes of a nanofiber
• Coherent control of light transport in a dense and disordered atomic ensemble
• Quantum interface between light and a one-dimensional atomic system

Cited by in corpus (1)

• Observation of coherent coupling between super- and subradiant states of an ensemble of cold atoms collectively coupled to a single propagating optical mode