01548nas a2200157 4500008004100000245010700041210006900148260001500217520099200232100001801224700001601242700002501258700001701283700001601300856007401316 2015 eng d00aAtom induced cavities and tunable long-range interactions between atoms trapped near photonic crystals0 aAtom induced cavities and tunable longrange interactions between c2015/03/033 a
Using cold atoms to simulate strongly interacting quantum systems represents an exciting frontier of physics. However, achieving tunable, coherent long-range interactions between atoms is an outstanding challenge, which currently leaves a large class of models inaccessible to quantum simulation. Here, we propose a solution exploiting the powerful new platform of cold atoms trapped near nano-photonic systems. We show that the dielectric contrast of an atom trapped near a photonic crystal can seed a localized cavity mode around the atomic position. In a dynamic form of “all-atomic” cavity QED, the length of these cavity modes can be tuned, and atoms separated by the order of the e↵ective cavity length can interact coherently with each other. Considering realistic conditions such as fabrication disorder and photon losses, coherent long-range potentials or spin interactions can be dominant in the system over length scales up to hundreds of wavelengths.
1 aDouglas, J, S1 aHabibian, H1 aGorshkov, Alexey, V.1 aKimble, H, J1 aChang, D, E uhttp://www.nature.com/nphoton/journal/v9/n5/full/nphoton.2015.57.html