Light-Induced Atomic Desorption in Microfabricated Vapor Cells for Demonstrating Quantum Optical Applications

In the quest to employ miniaturized atomic vapor cells for quantum applications, unfortunately such a short optical path is insufficient to obtain a decent signal that can be used to lock a laser. Heating up the cell would work, but at the price of undesired currents and linewidth broadening. Instead, the authors use light-induced atomic desorption (LIAD) to increase the atomic (and optical) density. Using LIAD yields a much larger contrast than does conventional spectroscopy---even at room temperature. Furthermore, eliminating the need for heating allow remote operation, without the need to provide electrical contacts to the device, which can be an important advantage in applications.