K. P. Nayak

Optical nanofiber as an efficient tool for manipulating and probing atomic fluorescence

We experimentally demonstrate efficient coupling of atomic fluorescence to the guided mode of a subwavelength-diameter silica fiber, an optical nanofiber. We show that fluorescence of a very small number of atoms, around the nanofiber can be readily observed through a single-mode optical fiber. We also show that such a technique enables us to probe the van der Waals interaction between atoms and surface with high precision by observing the fluorescence excitation spectrum through the nanofiber.

Cavity formation on an optical nanofiber using focused ion beam milling technique.

We present the experimental realization of nanofiber Bragg grating (NFBG) by drilling periodic nano-grooves on a subwavelength-diameter silica fiber using focused ion beam milling technique. Using such NFBG structures we have realized nanofiber cavity systems. The typical finesse of such nanofiber cavity is F ∼ 20 - 120 and the on-resonance transmission is ∼ 30 - 80%. Moreover the structural symmetry of such NFBGs results in polarization-selective modes in the nanofiber cavity. Due to the strong confinement of the field in the guided mode, such a nanofiber cavity can become a promising workbench for cavity QED.

Single atoms on an optical nanofibre

We show that single-atoms can be trapped on the surface of a subwavelength-diameter silica-fiber, an optical nanofiber, without any external field, and that single photons spontaneously emitted from the atoms can be readily detected through the single guided-mode of the nanofiber. A key point of the work is our finding that atom trapping sites are created on the nanofiber surface by irradiating the atom cloud around the nanofiber with a violet laser radiation.

Cavity quantum electrodynamics on a nanofiber using a composite photonic crystal cavity.

We demonstrate cavity QED conditions in the Purcell regime for single quantum emitters on the surface of an optical nanofiber. The cavity is formed by combining an optical nanofiber and a nanofabricated grating to create a composite photonic crystal cavity. By using this technique, significant enhancement of the spontaneous emission rate into the nanofiber guided modes is observed for single quantum dots. Our results pave the way for enhanced on-fiber light-matter interfaces with clear applications to quantum networks.

Photonic crystal formation on optical nanofibers using femtosecond laser ablation technique

We demonstrate that thousands of periodic nano-craters are fabricated on a subwavelength-diameter tapered optical fiber, an optical nanofiber, by irradiating with just a single femtosecond laser pulse. A key aspect of the fabrication is that the nanofiber itself acts as a cylindrical lens and focuses the femtosecond laser beam on its shadow surface. We also demonstrate that the periodic nano-crater array on the nanofiber shows polarization dependent fiber Bragg grating (FBG) characteristics. Such FBG structures on the nanofiber may act as a 1-D photonic crystal due to the strong transverse and longitudinal confinement of the field.

Fluorescence photon measurements from single quantum dots on an optical nanofiber

We experimentally investigate the fluorescence photon emission characteristics for single q-dots by using optical nanofibers. We demonstrate that single q-dots can be deposited along an optical nanofiber systematically and reproducibly with a precision of 5 μm. For single q-dots on an optical nanofiber, we measure the fluorescence photon numbers coupled into the nanofiber and the normalized photon correlations, by varying the excitation laser intensity. We estimate the fluorescence photon coupling efficiency into the nanofiber guided modes.

Nanofibers with Bragg gratings from equidistant holes

We study nanofibers with Bragg gratings from equidistant holes. We calculate analytically and numerically the reflection and transmission coefficients for a single grating and also for a cavity formed by two gratings. We show that the reflection and transmission coefficients of the gratings substantially depend on the number of holes, the hole length, the hole depth, the grating period, and the light wavelength. We find that the reflection and transmission coefficients of the gratings depend on the orientation of the polarization vector of light with respect to the holes. Such a dependence is a result of the fact that the cross-section of the gratings is not cylindrically symmetric.

Measurement of fluorescence emission spectrum of few strongly driven atoms using an optical nanofiber

We show that the fluorescence emission spectrum of few atoms can be measured by using an optical nanofiber combined with the optical heterodyne and photon correlation spectroscopy. The observed fluorescence spectrum of the atoms near the nanofiber shows negligible effects of the atom-surface interaction and agrees well with the Mollow triplet spectrum of free-space atoms at high excitation intensity.

Optical nanofiber-based photonic crystal cavity

We demonstrate the fabrication of photonic crystal (PhC) cavities on optical nanofibers using femtosecond laser ablation. PhC cavities with cavity lengths varying from 0.54 to 3.43 mm are fabricated by controlling the profile of the nanocrater array formed on the nanofiber. Such PhC cavities show high transmission of 87% for a finesse of 39. For higher finesse values from 150 to 500, the transmission can still be maintained at 20%-25%. Due to the strong confinement of the field and the efficient coupling to single-mode optical fibers, such nanofiber-based PhC cavities may become an interface between quantum and classical networks.

Photonic crystal nanofiber using an external grating.

We implemented a photonic crystal nanofiber device by reversibly combining an optical nanofiber and a nanofabricated grating. Using the finite-difference time-domain method, we designed the system for minimal optical loss while tailoring the resonant wavelength and bandwidth of the device. Experimentally, we demonstrated that the combined system shows a strong photonic stop band in good agreement with numerical predictions. The resulting device may be used to realize strong light-matter coupling near the nanofiber surface.