Nano-fabricated Atomic Waveguides for Inertial Measurements
February 16, 2022
Title: Nano-fabricated Atomic Waveguides for Inertial Measurements
Dissertation Commitee:
- Ivan Deutsch (Chair)
- Grant Biedermann
- Elohim Becerra
- Victor Acosta
Abstract: Inertial measurements based on atom interferometry can measure acceleration and rotation very precisely in the laboratory. This high sensitivity has attracted effort toward making these systems more compact and mobile which requires small size, light-weight, and low power (SWaP). My research focused on two platforms with the capability to meet these goals: optical nanofibers and suspended photonic waveguides. The evanescent fields provided by these platforms offer highly efficient atom-light interfaces that can reduce the power required for atom interferometry by orders of magnitude. Toward performing atom interferometry on a nanofiber, I built an optical nanofiber fabrication device, trapped Cesium atoms around it using a dual color dipole trap and studied the atomic coherence of trapped atoms. In addition, I helped design, characterize, and test a suspended rib waveguide that can transmit close to 30 mW with an eventual application to atom trapping.
