A new platform for atom-light interactions on the nano-scale

We present the design, fabrication, and operation of a new genera-tion of thermal alkali vapour nano-cells. The nano-cells include in-ternal structures with length scales 200−2000 nm created by laserlithography and reactive ion etching. The assembly process adoptsoptical contact bonding and glassblowing, avoiding the requirementfor any bonding agents or adhesives. We demonstrate a novel methodfor characterising the size of the internal vapour nano-channels. Thedesign allows for greater optical access and compatibility with highnumerical aperture (NA=0.7) optics; we demonstrate this with totalinternal reflection fluorescence spectroscopy and high resolution ima-ging of the nano-channels. Additionally, we report for the first time onthe photon statistics of light from a thin atomic ensemble. Finally, wediscuss the diffusion of atoms inside confined geometries with a num-ber of detection methods, and investigate options for controlling andmanipulating the atomic density and its diffusion. In total, we presentour new nano-cell design as a significant advancement of the field andpropose its use in scalable atomic and quantum optics applications andtechnologies.