title: Quantum coherent tractor beam effect for atoms trapped near a nanowaveguide.
abstract: We propose several schemes to realize a tractor beam effect for ultracold atoms in the vicinity of a few-mode nanowaveguide. Atoms trapped near the waveguide are transported in a direction opposite to the guided mode propagation direction. We analyse three specific examples for ultracold (23)Na atoms trapped near a specific nanowaveguide (i.e. an optical nanofibre): (i) a conveyor belt-type tractor beam effect, (ii) an accelerator tractor beam effect, and (iii) a quantum coherent tractor beam effect, all of which can effectively pull atoms along the nanofibre toward the light source. This technique provides a new tool for controlling the motion of particles near nanowaveguides with potential applications in the study of particle transport and binding as well as atom interferometry.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Electrical Communications, Tohoku University, Katahira 2-1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi Japan.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sadgrove
authors.affiliation: Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Heidelberg, Philosophenweg 12, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.|Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienze della Terra, Universitádi Parma, Via G. P. Usberti 7/a, 43124 Parma, Italy.|INFN, Sezione di Milano Bicocca, Gruppo Collegato di Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: Sandro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wimberger
authors.affiliation: Light-Matter Interactions Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan.
authors.forename: Síle
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nic Chormaic