Utilizing simulated atomic trajectories to aid cold atom delivery to photonic crystal waveguides

Trapping atoms near dielectric photonics crystal waveguides (PCWs) requires novel adaptations of standard atomic physics techniques. In our current system, a conveyor belt optical lattice is utilized for transport of atoms into the photonic crystal GM trap in a “clocked” fashion. The “clocked” transmission signal contains rich information of atomic movement near the PCW. We will present numerical simulations of atomic trajectories moving in the interference and diffraction patterns of the optical lattice beams with the PCW. A calculation of the transmission signal via transfer matrix model allows us to draw comparisons between simulation and experiment. Understanding the interaction between GM traps, optical lattice conveyor belt and atoms, constitutes a significant first step towards trapping several atoms along the waveguide and observing single, and collective atomic phenomena in an engineered photonic environment.