61 research outputs found
Long Distance Transport of Ultracold Atoms using a 1D optical lattice
We study the horizontal transport of ultracold atoms over macroscopic
distances of up to 20 cm with a moving 1D optical lattice. By using an optical
Bessel beam to form the optical lattice, we can achieve nearly homogeneous
trapping conditions over the full transport length, which is crucial in order
to hold the atoms against gravity for such a wide range. Fast transport
velocities of up to 6 m/s (corresponding to about 1100 photon recoils) and
accelerations of up to 2600 m/s2 are reached. Even at high velocities the
momentum of the atoms is precisely defined with an uncertainty of less than one
photon recoil. This allows for construction of an atom catapult with high
kinetic energy resolution, which might have applications in novel collision
experiments.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figure
Dynamics of a strongly interacting Fermi gas: the radial quadrupole mode
We report on measurements of an elementary surface mode in an ultracold,
strongly interacting Fermi gas of 6Li atoms. The radial quadrupole mode allows
us to probe hydrodynamic behavior in the BEC-BCS crossover without being
influenced by changes in the equation of state. We examine frequency and
damping of this mode, along with its expansion dynamics. In the unitarity limit
and on the BEC side of the resonance, the observed frequencies agree with
standard hydrodynamic theory. However, on the BCS side of the crossover, a
striking down shift of the oscillation frequency is observed in the
hydrodynamic regime as a precursor to an abrupt transition to collisionless
behavior; this indicates coupling of the oscillation to fermionic pairs.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures v2: minor change
Coherent optical transfer of Feshbach molecules to a lower vibrational state
Using the technique of stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) we have
coherently transferred ultracold 87Rb2 Feshbach molecules into a more deeply
bound vibrational quantum level. Our measurements indicate a high transfer
efficiency of up to 87%. As the molecules are held in an optical lattice with
not more than a single molecule per lattice site, inelastic collisions between
the molecules are suppressed and we observe long molecular lifetimes of about 1
s. Using STIRAP we have created quantum superpositions of the two molecular
states and tested their coherence interferometrically. These results represent
an important step towards Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) of molecules in the
vibrational ground state.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Observation of the Pairing Gap in a Strongly Interacting Fermi Gas
We study fermionic pairing in an ultracold two-component gas of Li atoms
by observing an energy gap in the radio-frequency excitation spectra. With
control of the two-body interactions via a Feshbach resonance we demonstrate
the dependence of the pairing gap on coupling strength, temperature, and Fermi
energy. The appearance of an energy gap with moderate evaporative cooling
suggests that our full evaporation brings the strongly interacting system deep
into a superfluid state.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figure
Tuning the scattering length with an optically induced Feshbach resonance
We demonstrate optical tuning of the scattering length in a Bose-Einstein
condensate as predicted by Fedichev {\em et al.} [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 77},
2913 (1996)]. In our experiment atoms in a Rb condensate are exposed to
laser light which is tuned close to the transition frequency to an excited
molecular state. By controlling the power and detuning of the laser beam we can
change the atomic scattering length over a wide range. In view of laser-driven
atomic losses we use Bragg spectroscopy as a fast method to measure the
scattering length of the atoms.Comment: submitted to PRL, 5 pages, 5 figure
Finite-Temperature Collective Dynamics of a Fermi Gas in the BEC-BCS Crossover
We report on experimental studies on the collective behavior of a strongly
interacting Fermi gas with tunable interactions and variable temperature. A
scissors mode excitation in an elliptical trap is used to characterize the
dynamics of the quantum gas in terms of hydrodynamic or near-collisionless
behavior. We obtain a crossover phase diagram for collisional properties,
showing a large region where a non-superfluid strongly interacting gas shows
hydrodynamic behavior. In a narrow interaction regime on the BCS side of the
crossover, we find a novel temperature-dependent damping peak, suggesting a
relation to the superfluid phase transition
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