Strongly interacting atom-cavity systems within a network with many nodes constitute a possible realization for a quantum internet which allows for quantum communication and computation on the same platform. To implement such large-scale quantum networks, nanophotonic resonators are promising candidates because they can be scalably fabricated and interconnected with waveguides and optical fibers. By integrating arrays of ring resonators into a vapor cell we show that thermal rubidium atoms above room temperature can be coupled to photonic cavities as building blocks for chip-scale hybrid circuits. Although strong coupling is not yet achieved in this first realization, our approach provides a key step towards miniaturization and scalability of atom-cavity systems.
@article{arxiv.1605.05961,
title = {Coupling a thermal atomic vapor to an integrated ring resonator},
author = {Ralf Ritter and Nico Gruhler and Wolfram Pernice and Harald Kübler and Tilman Pfau and Robert Löw},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1605.05961},
year = {2016}
}