Giant light shift of atoms near optical microstructures

Abstract

Atoms coupled to optical fields confined in one and two spatial dimensions in solid state microstructures can experience very large light shifts if the driving frequencies are close to a resonance of the microstructures and an atomic transition. Using the simple example of a quasi one-dimensional waveguide structure we can analytically calculate the atomic AC Stark shift and the modifications of the light field induced by the presence of the atom. A large enhancement of the effective interaction strength is found due to a non uniform mode density. Experimentally this should be visible by monitoring the scattered light field as well as by the modification of the atomic trajectories bouncing from the evanescent light.