Our research involves the guiding and manipulation of cold atoms confined in optical potentials. Our efforts concentrate on hollow-core optical fiber guiding and free-space (holographic) optical guiding and confinement using blue- and red-detuned laser fields. With the optical fibers, we are investigating high flux cold-atom transport, enhanced nonlinear effects in photonic crystal fiber guides, magnetometry, and cooling processes in axially tailored optical fibers. The free-space guides uniquely offer the possibility of investigating dynamical processes of atoms confined to arbitrary optical potentials that can be altered in real time. We have recently begun investigating interactions of atoms with cylindrical vector beams, which have a spatially varying polarization profile (e.g. radially-polarized or azimuthally-polarized beams).

 

key words

Atomic physics; Dark hollow beams; Hollow core fiber; Holography; Laser cooling; Magneto-optical trap;

Citizenship:  Open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents

Level:  Open to Postdoctoral applicants