Optical Response of Gas-Phase Atoms at Less than λ/80 from a Dielectric Surface

Whittaker, K.A.; Keaveney, J.; Hughes, I.G.; Sargsyan, A.; Sarkisyan, D.; Adams, C.S.

Abstract

We present experimental observations of atom-light interactions within tens of nanometers (down to 11 nm) of a sapphire surface. Using photon counting we detect the fluorescence from of order one thousand Rb or Cs atoms, confined in a vapor with thickness much less than the optical excitation wavelength. The asymmetry in the spectral line shape provides a direct readout of the atom-surface potential. A numerical fit indicates a power law −Cα/rα with α=3.02±0.06 confirming that the van der Waals interaction dominates over other effects. The extreme sensitivity of our photon-counting technique may allow the search for atom-surface bound states.

Citation

Whittaker, K., Keaveney, J., Hughes, I., Sargsyan, A., Sarkisyan, D., & Adams, C. (2014). Optical Response of Gas-Phase Atoms at Less than λ/80 from a Dielectric Surface. Physical Review Letters, 112, Article 253201. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.112.253201

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Jun 26, 2014
• Publication Date: Jun 26, 2014
• Deposit Date: May 23, 2014
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 16, 2014
• Journal: Physical Review Letters
• Print ISSN: 0031-9007
• Electronic ISSN: 1079-7114
• Publisher: American Physical Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 112
• Article Number: 253201
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.112.253201
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1431243