Measurement of the atom-surface van der Waals interaction by transmission spectroscopy in a wedged nanocell

T. Peyrot, N. Šibalić, Y. R. P. Sortais, A. Browaeys, A. Sargsyan, D. Sarkisyan, I. G. Hughes, and C. S. Adams
Phys. Rev. A 100, 022503 – Published 1 August 2019

Abstract

We demonstrate a method for measuring atom-surface interactions using transmission spectroscopy of thermal vapors confined in a wedged nanocell. The wedged shape of the cell allows complementary measurements of both the bulk atomic vapor and atoms close to surfaces experiencing strong van der Waals atom-surface interaction. These are used to tightly constrain the dipole-dipole collisional parameters of a theoretical model for transmission spectra that accounts for atom-surface interactions, cavity effects, collisions with the surface of the cell, and atomic motion. We illustrate this method on a cesium vapor in a sapphire cell, demonstrating that even the weakest of the van der Waals atom-surface interaction coefficients—for ground-state alkali atom transitions—can be determined with a very good precision. This result paves the way towards a precise quantitative characterization of atom-surface interactions in a wide range of atom-based nanodevices.

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  • Received 7 May 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.100.022503

©2019 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Atomic, Molecular & Optical

Authors & Affiliations

T. Peyrot, N. Šibalić, Y. R. P. Sortais, and A. Browaeys

  • Laboratoire Charles Fabry, Institut d'Optique Graduate School, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91127 Palaiseau Cedex, France

A. Sargsyan and D. Sarkisyan

  • Institute for Physical Research, National Academy of Sciences - Ashtarak 2, 0203, Armenia

I. G. Hughes and C. S. Adams

  • Department of Physics, Rochester Building, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom

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Issue

Vol. 100, Iss. 2 — August 2019

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