Abstract
Light is often described as a fully transverse-polarized wave, i.e., with an electric field vector that is orthogonal to the direction of propagation. However, light confined in dielectric structures such as optical waveguides or whispering-gallery-mode microresonators can have a strong longitudinal polarization component. Here, using single atoms strongly coupled to a whispering-gallery-mode microresonator, we experimentally and theoretically demonstrate that the presence of this longitudinal polarization fundamentally alters the interaction between light and matter.
- Received 14 March 2013
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.213604
© 2013 American Physical Society