[Seminar] Prof Sadgrove 'Tractor beams and composite traps: ideas for manipulating matterwaves with nano-optics'

Speaker:
Dr Mark Sadgrove
Associate Professor, Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, Japan

Seminar Title:
Tractor beams and composite traps: ideas for manipulating matterwaves with nano-optics

Abstract:
I will discuss some recent calculations related to the manipulation of external states of atoms (i.e. states pertaining to the atomic motional states, including "matterwaves") using nano-optical means. The first topic concerns the possibility of realizing pulling effects (a.k.a. tractor beam effects) with light using nano-waveguides. In particular, the idea of realizing conservative pulling without spatially localizing atoms will be considered. The second topic considers the advantages of so-called composite systems for trapping atoms near to a waveguide. I will show that a composite system is ideal for creating a nano-optical system where arrays of atoms can be trapped at the antinodes of a single cavity mode, potentially greatly enhancing their interaction.