2,302 research outputs found
Spatial oscillations in the spontaneous emission rate of an atom inside a metallic wedge
A method of images is applied to study the spontaneous emission of an atom
inside a metallic wedge with an opening angle of , where N is an
arbitrary positive integer. We show the method of images gives a rate formula
consistent with that from Quantum Electrodynamics. Using the method of images,
we show the correspondence between the oscillations in the spontaneous emission
rate and the closed-orbits of emitted photon going away and returning to the
atom inside the wedge. The closed-orbits can be readily constructed using the
method of images and they are also extracted from the spontaneous emission
rate.Comment: 8 figure
Reconsidering the quantization of electrodynamics with boundary conditions and some measurable consequences
We show that the commonly known conductor boundary conditions
can be realized in two ways which we call 'thick' and 'thin'
conductor. The 'thick' conductor is the commonly known approach and includes a
Neumann condition on the normal component of the electric field
whereas for a 'thin' conductor remains without boundary condition.
Both types describe different physics already on the classical level where a
'thin' conductor allows for an interaction between the normal components of
currents on both sides. On quantum level different forces between a conductor
and a single electron or a neutral atom result. For instance, the
Casimir-Polder force for a 'thin' conductor is by about 13% smaller than for a
'thick' one.Comment: 22 pages, basic statement weakened, conclusions changed, misprints
correcte
Retarded long-range potentials for the alkali-metal atoms and a perfectly conducting wall
The retarded long-range potentials for hydrogen and alkali-metal atoms in
their ground states and a perfectly conducting wall are calculated. The
potentials are given over a wide range of atom-wall distances and the validity
of the approximations used is established.Comment: RevTeX, epsf, 11 pages, 2 fig
Dynamics of Macroscopic Wave Packet Passing through Double Slits: Role of Gravity and Nonlinearity
Using the nonlinear Schroedinger equation (Gross-Pitaevskii equation), the
dynamics of a macroscopic wave packet for Bose-Einstein condensates falling
through double slits is analyzed. This problem is identified with a search for
the fate of a soliton showing a head-on collision with a hard-walled obstacle
of finite size. We explore the splitting of the wave packet and its
reorganization to form an interference pattern. Particular attention is paid to
the role of gravity (g) and repulsive nonlinearity (u_0) in the fringe pattern.
The peak-to-peak distance in the fringe pattern and the number of interference
peaks are found to be proportional to g^(-1/2) and u_0^(1/2)g^(1/4),
respectively. We suggest a way of designing an experiment under controlled
gravity and nonlinearity.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures and 1 tabl
Diffusion, thermalization and optical pumping of YbF molecules in a cold buffer gas cell
We produce YbF molecules with a density of 10^18 m^-3 using laser ablation
inside a cryogenically-cooled cell filled with a helium buffer gas. Using
absorption imaging and absorption spectroscopy we study the formation,
diffusion, thermalization and optical pumping of the molecules. The absorption
images show an initial rapid expansion of molecules away from the ablation
target followed by a much slower diffusion to the cell walls. We study how the
time constant for diffusion depends on the helium density and temperature, and
obtain values for the YbF-He diffusion cross-section at two different
temperatures. We measure the translational and rotational temperatures of the
molecules as a function of time since formation, obtain the characteristic time
constant for the molecules to thermalize with the cell walls, and elucidate the
process responsible for limiting this thermalization rate. Finally, we make a
detailed study of how the absorption of the probe laser saturates as its
intensity increases, showing that the saturation intensity is proportional to
the helium density. We use this to estimate collision rates and the density of
molecules in the cell.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures, minor revisions following referee suggestion
Spin flip lifetimes in superconducting atom chips: BCS versus Eliashberg theory
We investigate theoretically the magnetic spin-flip transitions of neutral
atoms trapped near a superconducting slab. Our calculations are based on a
quantum-theoretical treatment of electromagnetic radiation near dielectric and
metallic bodies. Specific results are given for rubidium atoms near a niobium
superconductor. At the low frequencies typical of the atomic transitions, we
find that BCS theory greatly overestimates coherence effects, which are much
less pronounced when quasiparticle lifetime effects are included through
Eliashberg theory. At 4.2 K, the typical atomic spin lifetime is found to be
larger than a thousand seconds, even for atom-superconductor distances of one
micrometer. This constitutes a large enhancement in comparison with normal
metals.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure
Influence of primary particle density in the morphology of agglomerates
Agglomeration processes occur in many different realms of science such as
colloid and aerosol formation or formation of bacterial colonies. We study the
influence of primary particle density in agglomerate structure using
diffusion-controlled Monte Carlo simulations with realistic space scales
through different regimes (DLA and DLCA). The equivalence of Monte Carlo time
steps to real time scales is given by Hirsch's hydrodynamical theory of
Brownian motion. Agglomerate behavior at different time stages of the
simulations suggests that three indices (fractal exponent, coordination number
and eccentricity index) characterize agglomerate geometry. Using these indices,
we have found that the initial density of primary particles greatly influences
the final structure of the agglomerate as observed in recent experimental
works.Comment: 11 pages, 13 figures, PRE, to appea
Entangled light from Bose-Einstein condensates
We propose a method to generate entangled light with a Bose-Einstein
condensate trapped in a cavity, a system realized in recent experiments. The
atoms of the condensate are trapped in a periodic potential generated by a
cavity mode. The condensate is continuously pumped by a laser and spontaneously
emits a pair of photons of different frequencies in two distinct cavity modes.
In this way, the condensate mediates entanglement between two cavity modes
which leak out and can be separated and exhibit continuous variable
entanglement. The scheme exploits the experimentally demonstrated strong,
steady and collective coupling of condensate atoms to a cavity field.Comment: 5 pages and 5 figure
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