A fiber Fabry-Perot cavity with high finesse

Abstract

We have realized a fiber-based Fabry-Perot cavity with CO2 lasermachined mirrors. It combines very small size, high finesse .F≥ 130000, small waist and mode volume, and good mode matching between the fiber and cavity modes. This combination of features is a major advance for cavity quantum electrodynamics (CQED), as shown in recent CQED experiments with Bose-Einstein condensates enabled by this cavity (Colombe Y et al 2007 Nature 450 272). It will also be suitable for a wide range of other applications, including coupling to solid-state emitters, gas detection at the single-particle level, fibercoupled single-photon sources and high-resolution optical filters with large stopband. © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.