Seminar: "Optical cavity for quantum networks" by Dr. Ezra Kassa

Speaker: Dr. Ezra Kassa, University of Oxford, United Kingdom

Title: Optical cavity for quantum networks

 

Efficient coupling of atoms to optical cavities is indispensable for the realisation of scalable quantum networks for distributed quantum information processing, with single atoms and single photons employed as the stationary and flying qubits, respectively. The network's efficiency is significantly enhanced by the preferential emission and absorption of photons into the network nodes together with the unparalleled control over the photons' shape afforded by the atom-cavity coupling. However, integrating trapped atoms, neutral or charged, with optical cavities comes with challenges - optical access for the trapping of the atoms being a significant one. To overcome this, teams have employed fibre tips to make miniature cavities [1,2]. Fibre cavities have now produced some promising results [3,4] but are currently limited by mode matching and stability. I will present an alternative approach we are pioneering at Oxford with bespoke microfabricated optics. By using optics tapered down to a few hundred micrometers, we can produce cavities which will overcome these hurdles.