Bachelor Defense by Signe Brynold Markussen

Motion of Atoms in a Nanofiber Trap

An ensemble of atoms trapped by laser light around a sub-wavelength nanofiber is a well-suited platform for the study of light-atom interactions. This project aims to investigate the motional dynamics of the atoms in a nanofiber trap in order to estimate the temperature of the atomic ensemble. To do so, we use two consecutive pulses of light to drive a Raman transition between the two hyperfine ground states of cesium. Investigating how well the second pulse is able reverse the transfer made by the first pulse allows us to resolve the atomic motion in the trap.