Reply to "Comment on 'Stimulated Raman adiabatic passage from an atomic to a molecular Bose-Einstein condensate'"

In the Comment by M. Mackie \textit{et al.} [arXiv: physics/0212111 v.4], the authors suggest that the molecular conversion efficiency in atom-molecule STIRAP can be improved by lowering the initial atomic density, which in turn requires longer pulse durations to maintain adiabaticity. Apart from the fact that the mean-field approximation becomes questionable at low densities, we point out that a low-density strategy with longer pulses has several problems. It generally requires higher pulse energies, and increases radiative losses. We also show that even within the approximations used in the Comment, their example leads to no efficiency improvement compared to our high-density case. In a more careful analysis including radiative losses neglected in the Comment, the proposed strategy gives almost no conversion owing to the longer pulse durations required.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Quantum computations with atoms in optical lattices: marker qubits and molecular interactions

We develop a scheme for quantum computation with neutral atoms, based on the concept of "marker" atoms, i.e., auxiliary atoms that can be efficiently transported in state-independent periodic external traps to operate quantum gates between physically distant qubits. This allows for relaxing a number of experimental constraints for quantum computation with neutral atoms in microscopic potential, including single-atom laser addressability. We discuss the advantages of this approach in a concrete physical scenario involving molecular interactions.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figure

Controlling two-species Mott-insulator phses in an optical lattice to form an array of dipolar molecules

We consider the transfer of a two-species Bose-Einstein condensate into an optical lattice with a density such that that a Mott-insulator state with one atom per species per lattice site is obtained in the deep lattice regime. Depending on collision parameters the result could be either a `mixed' or a `separated' Mott-insulator phase. Such a `mixed' two-species insulator could then be photo-associated into an array of dipolar molecules suitable for quantum computation or the formation of a dipolar molecular condensate. For the case of a $^{87}$Rb-$^{41}$K two-species BEC, however, the large inter-species scattering length makes obtaining the desired `mixed' Mott insulator phase difficult. To overcome this difficulty we investigate the effect of varying the lattice frequency on the mean-field interaction and find a favorable parameter regime under which a lattice of dipolar molecules could be generated

Stimulated Raman adiabatic passage from an atomic to a molecular Bose-Einstein condensate

The process of stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) provides a possible route for the generation of a coherent molecular Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) from an atomic BEC. We analyze this process in a three-dimensional mean-field theory, including atom-atom interactions and non-resonant intermediate levels. We find that the process is feasible, but at larger Rabi frequencies than anticipated from a crude single-mode lossless analysis, due to two-photon dephasing caused by the atomic interactions. We then identify optimal strategies in STIRAP allowing one to maintain high conversion efficiencies with smaller Rabi frequencies and under experimentally less demanding conditions.Comment: Final published versio

Modulational instability of spinor condensates

We demonstrate, analytically and numerically, that the ferromagnetic phase of the spinor Bose-Einstein condenstate may experience modulational instability of the ground state leading to a fragmentation of the spin domains. Together with other nonlinear effects in the atomic optics of ultra-cold gases (such as coherent photoassociation and four-wave mixing) this effect provides one more analogy between coherent matter waves and light waves in nonlinear optics.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for Phys. Rev. A Rapid Communication

Direct observation of growth and collapse of a Bose-Einstein condensate with attractive interactions

The dynamical behavior of Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) in a gas with attractive interactions is striking. Quantum theory predicts that BEC of a spatially homogeneous gas with attractive interactions is precluded by a conventional phase transition into either a liquid or solid. When confined to a trap, however, such a condensate can form provided that its occupation number does not exceed a limiting value. The stability limit is determined by a balance between self-attraction and a repulsion arising from position-momentum uncertainty under conditions of spatial confinement. Near the stability limit, self-attraction can overwhelm the repulsion, causing the condensate to collapse. Growth of the condensate, therefore, is punctuated by intermittent collapses, which are triggered either by macroscopic quantum tunneling or thermal fluctuation. Previous observation of growth and collapse has been hampered by the stochastic nature of these mechanisms. Here we reduce the stochasticity by controlling the initial number of condensate atoms using a two-photon transition to a diatomic molecular state. This enables us to obtain the first direct observation of the growth of a condensate with attractive interactions and its subsequent collapse.Comment: 10 PDF pages, 5 figures (2 color), 19 references, to appear in Nature Dec. 7 200

Bose-enhanced chemistry: Amplification of selectivity in the dissociation of molecular Bose-Einstein condensates

We study the photodissociation chemistry of a quantum degenerate gas of bosonic triatomic $ABC$ molecules, assuming two open rearrangement channels ($AB+C$ or $A+BC$). The equations of motion are equivalent to those of a parametric multimode laser, resulting in an exponential buildup of macroscopic mode populations. By exponentially amplifying a small differential in the single-particle rate-coefficients, Bose stimulation leads to a nearly complete selectivity of the collective $N$-body process, indicating a novel type of ultra-selective quantum degenerate chemistry.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Creating massive entanglement of Bose condensed atoms

We propose a direct, coherent coupling scheme that can create massively entangled states of Bose-Einstein condensed atoms. Our idea is based on an effective interaction between two atoms from coherent Raman processes through a (two atom) molecular intermediate state. We compare our scheme with other recent proposals for generation of massive entanglement of Bose condensed atoms.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures; Updated figure 3(a), original was "noisy

Matter-wave entanglement and teleportation by molecular dissociation and collisions

We propose dissociation of cold diatomic molecules as a source of atom pairs with highly correlated (entangled) positions and momenta, approximating the original quantum state introduced by Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen (EPR) [Phys. Rev. 47, 777 (1935)]. Wavepacket teleportation is shown to be achievable by its collision with one of the EPR correlated atoms and manipulation of the other atom in the pair.Comment: REVTeX, 4 pages, 3 figures. Text reformulated, modified figs. 1 and 2. Accepted by Phys. Rev. Let

A continuous source of translationally cold dipolar molecules

The Stark interaction of polar molecules with an inhomogeneous electric field is exploited to select slow molecules from a room-temperature reservoir and guide them into an ultrahigh vacuum chamber. A linear electrostatic quadrupole with a curved section selects molecules with small transverse and longitudinal velocities. The source is tested with formaldehyde (H2CO) and deuterated ammonia (ND3). With H2CO a continuous flux is measured of approximately 10^9/s and a longitudinal temperature of a few K. The data are compared with the result of a Monte Carlo simulation.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures v2: small changes in the abstract, text and references. Figures 1 & 2 regenerated to prevent errors in the pd