Neutral 87 Rb atoms near the surface of optical nanofibres

Optical nanofibres (ONF), which are fabricated by tapering standard optical fibre over a heat source to subwavelength diameter [1], have recently come to the fore as ideal tools for atom-photon hybrid quantum systems. For a recent review on the topic the reader is referred to [2]. A sub-wavelength diameter ONF results in a large portion of the guided mode energy being contained within the evanescent field beyond the nanofibre surface. The tight confinement of the light provides a high intensity and field gradient even for very low input powers. The fibre-guided light can probe ensembles of atoms around the nanofibre and, equivalently, the nanofibre can be used to transfer light from one atomic system to another.