Atoms and photonic crystal cavities

Atoms coupled to micro- or nano-scale optical resonators create a system interesting both for fundamental studies and practical applications. In particular, photonic crystal cavities fabricated in thin semiconductor membranes have extremely small optical mode volumes and are well suited for integration with optical waveguides and on-chip electronics. Here, we study how deposition of cesium atoms affects the properties of a photonic crystal cavity fabricated in gallium phosphide. Additionally, we introduce a proposal for a single photon switching scheme based on cesium atoms coupled to a photonic crystal cavity with a moderate Q-factor.