IQUIST Seminar: Kanu Sinha, Arizona State University

Interactions between atoms or atom-like emitters and electromagnetic fields are at the heart of nearly all quantum optical phenomena and quantum information applications. With growing efforts towards miniaturization – both with the fundamental motivation to explore strong light-matter coupling regimes and the practical goal of making quantum devices more modular – understanding and controlling atom-field interactions at nanoscales becomes increasingly relevant. When interfacing atoms with surfaces of waveguides and photonic structures at nanoscales, quantum fluctuation phenomena such as Casimir-Polder forces, surface-modified dissipation and decoherence become an inevitable element of consideration. I will present an overview of various ways to engineer fluctuation-induced phenomena in nanoscale quantum optical systems, and discuss how collective effects can modify Casimir-Polder forces.

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