525 research outputs found

    Creating a low-dimensional quantum gas using dark states in an inelastic evanescent-wave mirror

    Get PDF
    We discuss an experimental scheme to create a low-dimensional gas of ultracold atoms, based on inelastic bouncing on an evanescent-wave mirror. Close to the turning point of the mirror, the atoms are transferred into an optical dipole trap. This scheme can compress the phase-space density and can ultimately yield an optically-driven atom laser. An important issue is the suppression of photon scattering due to ``cross-talk'' between the mirror potential and the trapping potential. We propose that for alkali atoms the photon scattering rate can be suppressed by several orders of magnitude if the atoms are decoupled from the evanescent-wave light. We discuss how such dark states can be achieved by making use of circularly-polarized evanescent waves.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure

    Coherent Evolution of Bouncing Bose-Einstein Condensates

    Get PDF
    We investigate the evolution of Bose-Einstein condensates falling under gravity and bouncing off a mirror formed by a far-detuned sheet of light. After reflection, the atomic density profile develops splitting and interference structures which depend on the drop height, on the strength of the light sheet, as well as on the initial mean field energy and size of the condensate. We compare experimental results with simulations of the Gross-Pitaevski equation. A comparison with the behaviour of bouncing thermal clouds allows to identify quantum features specific for condensates.Comment: 4 page

    The Fermi accelerator in atom optics

    Full text link
    We study the classical and quantum dynamics of a Fermi accelerator realized by an atom bouncing off a modulated atomic mirror. We find that in a window of the modulation amplitude dynamical localization occurs in both position and momentum. A recent experiment [A. Steane, P. Szriftgiser, P. Desbiolles, and J. Dalibard, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 74}, 4972 (1995)] shows that this system can be implemented experimentally.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

    Quantum damping of position due to energy measurements

    Get PDF
    Quantum theory for measurements of energy is introduced and its consequences for the average position of monitored dynamical systems are analyzed. It turns out that energy measurements lead to a localization of the expectation values of other observables. This is manifested, in the case of position, as a damping of the motion without classical analogue. Quantum damping of position for an atom bouncing on a reflecting surface in presence of a homogeneous gravitational field is dealt in detail and the connection with an experiment already performed in the classical regime is studied. We show that quantum damping is testable provided that the same measurement strength obtained in the experimental verification of the quantum Zeno effect in atomic spectroscopy [W. M. Itano et al., Phys. Rev. A {\bf 41}, 2295 (1990)] is made available.Comment: 19 pages + 4 figures available upon request; Plain REVTeX; To be published in Phys. Rev.

    Quantum Revivals in Periodically Driven Systems close to nonlinear resonance

    Full text link
    We calculate the quantum revival time for a wave-packet initially well localized in a one-dimensional potential in the presence of an external periodic modulating field. The dependence of the revival time on various parameters of the driven system is shown analytically. As an example of application of our approach, we compare the analytically obtained values of the revival time for various modulation strengths with the numerically computed ones in the case of a driven gravitational cavity. We show that they are in very good agreement.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figur

    Optics with an Atom Laser Beam

    Full text link
    We report on the atom optical manipulation of an atom laser beam. Reflection, focusing and its storage in a resonator are demonstrated. Precise and versatile mechanical control over an atom laser beam propagating in an inhomogeneous magnetic field is achieved by optically inducing spin-flips between atomic ground states with different magnetic moment. The magnetic force acting on the atoms can thereby be effectively switched on and off. The surface of the atom optical element is determined by the resonance condition for the spin-flip in the inhomogeneous magnetic field. A mirror reflectivity of more than 98% is measured

    Substrate-based atom waveguide using guided two-color evanescent light fields

    Full text link
    We propose a dipole-force linear waveguide which confines neutral atoms up to lambda/2 above a microfabricated single-mode dielectric optical guide. The optical guide carries far blue-detuned light in the horizontally-polarized TE mode and far red-detuned light in the vertically-polarized TM mode, with both modes close to optical cut-off. A trapping minimum in the transverse plane is formed above the optical guide due to the differing evanescent decay lengths of the two modes. This design allows manufacture of mechanically stable atom-optical elements on a substrate. We calculate the full vector bound modes for an arbitrary guide shape using two-dimensional non-uniform finite elements in the frequency-domain, allowing us to optimize atom waveguide properties. We find that a rectangular optical guide of 0.8um by 0.2um carrying 6mW of total laser power (detuning +-15nm about the D2 line) gives a trap depth of 200uK for cesium atoms (m_F = 0), transverse oscillation frequencies of f_x = 40kHz and f_y = 160kHz, collection area ~ 1um^2 and coherence time of 9ms. We discuss the effects of non-zero m_F, surface interactions, heating rate, the substrate refractive index, and the limits on waveguide bending radius.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, revtex, submitted to Phys. Rev. A Replaced: final version accepted by PRA v.61 Feb 2000. (2 paragraphs added

    Numerical Modeling of Evanescent-Wave Atom Optics

    Get PDF
    We numerically solve the time-dependent Schrodinger equation for a two-level atom interacting with an evanescent light field. The atom may be reflected or diffracted. Using the experimental parameter values we quantitatively model the evanescent field dopplerons (velocity-tuned resonances) observed by Stenlake et al. [Phys. Rev. A 49, 16 (1994)]. Besides successfully modeling the experiment, our approach provides complementary insights to the usual solution of the time-independent Schrodinger equation. We neglect spontaneous emission
    • 

    corecore