Atomic Interferometer with Amplitude Gratings of Light and its Applications to Atom Based Tests of the Equivalence Principle

We have developed a matter wave interferometer based on the diffraction of atoms from effective absorption gratings of light. In a setup with cold rubidium atoms in an atomic fountain the interferometer has been used to carry out tests of the equivalence principle on an atomic basis. The gravitational acceleration of the two isotopes 85Rb and 87Rb was compared, yielding a difference Dg/g =(1.2 +-1.7)x10^{-7}. We also perform a differential free fall measurement of atoms in two different hyperfine states, and obtained a result of Dg/g =(0.4 +-1.2)x10^{-7}.Comment: 4 Pages, 4 figures, accepted for Physical Review Letter

Sub-collision hyperfine structure of nonlinear-optical resonance with field scanning

Some experimental evidences for methane are produced that the simple transition from frequency scanning of nonlinear-optical resonances to magnetic one may be accompanied with transition from sub-Doppler collisionally broadened structure to sub-collision hyperfine one. It is conditioned by nonlinearity of splitting of hyperfine sublevel for molecules in the adiabatically varied magnetic field and respectively breaking the analogy of magnetic and frequency scannings. The exact calculation of the resonance structure is considered for molecules with only one spin subsystem. The approximately spin-additive calculation of the structure is given for sufficiently fast rotating molecules with greater number of spin subsystems. Within the same approximation an example of hyperfine doubling in the magnetic and electric spectra of nonlinear-optical resonance is considered for fluoromethane.Comment: 56 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in J. Mol. Spectrosc

Atom focusing by far-detuned and resonant standing wave fields: Thin lens regime

The focusing of atoms interacting with both far-detuned and resonant standing wave fields in the thin lens regime is considered. The thin lens approximation is discussed quantitatively from a quantum perspective. Exact quantum expressions for the Fourier components of the density (that include all spherical aberration) are used to study the focusing numerically. The following lens parameters and density profiles are calculated as functions of the pulsed field area $\theta$: the position of the focal plane, peak atomic density, atomic density pattern at the focus, focal spot size, depth of focus, and background density. The lens parameters are compared to asymptotic, analytical results derived from a scalar diffraction theory for which spherical aberration is small but non-negligible ($\theta \gg 1$). Within the diffraction theory analytical expressions show that the focused atoms in the far detuned case have an approximately constant background density $0.5(1-0.635\theta ^{- 1/2})$ while the peak density behaves as $$, the focal distance or time as $\theta ^{-1}(1+1.27\theta ^{- 1/2})$, the focal spot size as $0.744\theta ^{-3/4}$, and the depth of focus as $1.91\theta ^{- 3/2}$. Focusing by the resonant standing wave field leads to a new effect, a Rabi- like oscillation of the atom density. For the far-detuned lens, chromatic aberration is studied with the exact Fourier results. Similarly, the degradation of the focus that results from angular divergence in beams or thermal velocity distributions in traps is studied quantitatively with the exact Fourier method and understood analytically using the asymptotic results. Overall, we show that strong thin lens focusing is possible with modest laser powers and with currently achievable atomic beam characteristics.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figure

High resolution amplitude and phase gratings in atom optics

An atom-field geometry is chosen in which an atomic beam traverses a field interaction zone consisting of three fields, one having frequency $\Omega =c/\lambda$ propagating in the $\hat{z}$ direction and the other two having frequencies $\Omega +\delta_{1}$ and $\Omega +\delta_{2}$ propagating in the -$\hat{z}$ direction. For $n_{1}\delta_{1}+n_{2}\delta_{2}=0$ and $|\delta_{1}| T,|\delta_{2}| T\gg 1$, where $n_{1}$ and $n_{2}$ are positive integers and $T$ is the pulse duration in the atomic rest frame, the atom-field interaction results in the creation of atom amplitude and phase gratings having period $\lambda /[2(n_{1}+n_{2})]$. In this manner, one can use optical fields having wavelength $\lambda$ to produce atom gratings having periodicity much less than $\lambda$.Comment: 11 pages, 14 figure

Quantum motion effects in an ultracold-atom Mach-Zehnder interferometer

We study the effect of quantum motion in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer where ultracold, two-level atoms cross a $\pi/2$-$\pi$-$\pi/2$ configuration of separated, laser illuminated regions. Explicit and exact expressions are obtained for transmission amplitudes of monochromatic, incident atomic waves using recurrence relations which take into account all possible paths: the direct ones usually considered in the simple semiclassical treatment, but including quantum motion corrections, and the paths in which the atoms are repeatedly reflected at the fields.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure

OPTICAL TIME SCALE

The production of a time scale based on the use of an oscillation period of a highly stable laser is first reported. The new time standard allows to transfer frequency characteristics of a highly stable laser in the frequency range from 0 to 1014 Hz with no losses in accuracy. Radio-frequency oscillators were synchronized with the aid of fast-response systems of phase offset lock at division of laser frequencies