Abstract

Atoms can be trapped and laser cooled by a two-color evanescent field surrounding an optical nanofiber [1]. They can simultaneously be interrogated with light sent through the nanofiber [1,2]. This situation can be described in terms of a 1-dimensional electrodynamic theory, where dissipation may occur via the fiber itself, or in the rest of the modes of the electromagnetic field [3]. In such a theory, the light emitted by one atom may be absorbed by any other atom, thus giving rise to a long-range dipole-dipole interaction and the corresponding inter-atomic force. Thus, atoms may move in the self-created field. Additionally, light emitted by the atoms may dissipate energy, and thus drive the atoms into an equilibrium situation. This phenomenon is similar to the crystallization occurring in ion-trap experiments, or neutral atoms in optical lattices or cavities. The main difference, however, is that here there is no external structure which determines the equilibrium position, and that the forces between the atoms are dynamical in nature. In this contribution we will explain this phenomenon theoretically, and analyze the possibility of observing it with current experiments.

© 2012 Optical Society of America