Superradiance from Lattice-Confined Atoms inside Hollow Core Fibre

Authors
Shoichi Okaba, Deshui Yu, Luca Vincetti, Fetah Benabid & Hidetoshi Katori

Abstract

Unravelling superradiance, also known as superfluorescence, relies on an ensemble of phase-matched dipole oscillators and the suppression of inhomogeneous broadening. Here we report a superradiance platform that combines an optical lattice free from the ac Stark shift and a hollow-core photonic crystal fibre, enabling an extended atom-light interaction over 2 mm free from the Doppler effect. This system allows control of the atom spatial distribution and spectral homogeneity whilst efficiently coupling the radiation field to an optical fibre. The experimentally-observed and theoretically-corroborated temporal, spectral and spatial dynamic behaviours of the superradiance, e.g., superradiance ringing and density-dependent frequency shift, demonstrate a unique interplay between the trapped atoms and the fibre-guided field with multiple transverse modes. Our theory indicates that the resulting temporal evolution of the guided light shows a minimal beam radius of 3.1 µm which is three times smaller than that of the lowest-loss fibre mode.

Communications Physics：https://www.nature.com/articles/s42005-019-0237-2