Three-dimensional character of atom-chip-based rf-dressed potentials

We experimentally investigate the properties of radio-frequency-dressed potentials for Bose-Einstein condensates on atom chips. The three-dimensional potential forms a connected pair of parallel waveguides. We show that rf-dressed potentials are robust against the effect of small magnetic-field variations on the trap potential. Long-lived dipole oscillations of condensates induced in the rf-dressed potentials can be tuned to a remarkably low damping rate. We study a beam-splitter for Bose-Einstein condensates and show that a propagating condensate can be dynamically split in two vertically separated parts and guided along two paths. The effect of gravity on the potential can be tuned and compensated for using a rf-field gradient.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure

Yang-Yang thermodynamics on an atom chip

We investigate the behavior of a weakly interacting nearly one-dimensional (1D) trapped Bose gas at finite temperature. We perform in situ measurements of spatial density profiles and show that they are very well described by a model based on exact solutions obtained using the Yang-Yang thermodynamic formalism, in a regime where other, approximate theoretical approaches fail. We use Bose-gas focusing [Shvarchuck etal., Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 270404 (2002)] to probe the axial momentum distribution of the gas, and find good agreement with the in situ results.Comment: extended introduction and conclusions, and minor changes throughout; accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

Box traps on an atom chip for one-dimensional quantum gases

We present the implementation of tailored trapping potentials for ultracold gases on an atom chip. We realize highly elongated traps with box-like confinement along the long, axial direction combined with conventional harmonic confinement along the two radial directions. The design, fabrication and characterization of the atom chip and the box traps is described. We load ultracold ($\lesssim1 \mu$K) clouds of $^{87}$Rb in a box trap, and demonstrate Bose-gas focusing as a means to characterize these atomic clouds in arbitrarily shaped potentials. Our results show that box-like axial potentials on atom chips are very promising for studies of one-dimensional quantum gases.Comment: 9 pages 4 figure

Yang-Yang thermometry and momentum distribution of a trapped one-dimensional Bose gas

We describe the use of the exact Yang-Yang solutions for the one-dimensional Bose gas to enable accurate kinetic-energy thermometry based on the root-mean-square width of an experimentally measured momentum distribution. Furthermore, we use the stochastic projected Gross-Pitaevskii theory to provide the first quantitative description of the full momentum distribution measurements of Van Amerongen et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 090402 (2008). We find the fitted temperatures from the stochastic projected Gross-Pitaevskii approach are in excellent agreement with those determined by Yang-Yang kinetic-energy thermometry.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. v2: Updated to published versio

Intense field stabilization in circular polarization: 3D time-dependent dynamics

We investigate the stabilization of a hydrogen atom in circularly polarized laser fields. We use a time-dependent, fully three dimensional approach to study the quantum dynamics of the hydrogen atom subject to high intensity, short wavelength laser pulses. We find enhanced survival probability as the field is increased under fixed envelope conditions. We also confirm wavepacket dynamics seen in prior time-dependent computations restricted to two dimensions.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, submitte

Bose-Einstein Condensation in a Surface Micro Trap

Bose-Einstein condensation has been achieved in a magnetic surface micro trap with 4x10^5 87Rb atoms. The strongly anisotropic trapping potential is generated by a microstructure which consists of microfabricated linear copper conductors at a width ranging from 3 to 30 micrometer. After loading a high number of atoms from a pulsed thermal source directly into a magneto-optical trap (MOT) the magnetically stored atoms are transferred into the micro trap by adiabatic transformation of the trapping potential. The complete in vacuo trap design is compatible with ultrahigh vacuum below 2x10^(-11) mbar.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

The dynamics and prethermalization of one dimensional quantum systems probed through the full distributions of quantum noise

Quantum noise correlations have been employed in several areas in physics including condensed matter, quantum optics and ultracold atom to reveal non-classical states of the systems. So far, such analysis mostly focused on systems in equilibrium. In this paper, we show that quantum noise is also a useful tool to characterize and study the non-equilibrium dynamics of one dimensional system. We consider the Ramsey sequence of one dimensional, two-component bosons, and obtain simple, analytical expressions of time evolutions of the full distribution functions for this strongly-correlated, many-body system. The analysis can also be directly applied to the evolution of interference patterns between two one dimensional quasi-condensates created from a single condensate through splitting. Using the tools developed in this paper, we demonstrate that one dimensional dynamics in these systems exhibits the phenomenon known as "prethermalization", where the observables of {\it non-equilibrium}, long-time transient states become indistinguishable from those of thermal {\it equilibrium} states.Comment: 22 pages, 11 figures+appendi

INTEGRATED DESIGN OF A LIGHTWEIGHT POSITIONING SYSTEM

Abstract In this paper a new approach to the design of positioning systems is introduced. The approach aims at the design of fast and accurate systems that are lightweight compared to classical designs. The new design reduces peak power requirements and thermal effects that deteriorate performance of the whole system

Electron correlation vs. stabilization: A two-electron model atom in an intense laser pulse

We study numerically stabilization against ionization of a fully correlated two-electron model atom in an intense laser pulse. We concentrate on two frequency regimes: very high frequency, where the photon energy exceeds both, the ionization potential of the outer {\em and} the inner electron, and an intermediate frequency where, from a ``single active electron''-point of view the outer electron is expected to stabilize but the inner one is not. Our results reveal that correlation reduces stabilization when compared to results from single active electron-calculations. However, despite this destabilizing effect of electron correlation we still observe a decreasing ionization probability within a certain intensity domain in the high-frequency case. We compare our results from the fully correlated simulations with those from simpler, approximate models. This is useful for future work on ``real'' more-than-one electron atoms, not yet accessible to numerical {\em ab initio} methods.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures in an extra ps-file, submitted to Phys. Rev. A, updated references and shortened introductio

Thermal dephasing and the echo effect in a confined Bose-Einstein condensate

It is shown that thermal fluctuations of the normal component induce dephasing -- reversible damping of the low energy collective modes of a confined Bose-Einstein condensate. The dephasing rate is calculated for the isotropic oscillator trap, where Landau damping is expected to be suppressed. This rate is characterized by a steep temperature dependence, and it is weakly amplitude dependent. In the limit of large numbers of bosons forming the condensate, the rate approaches zero. However, for the numbers employed by the JILA group, the calculated value of the rate is close to the experimental one. We suggest that a reversible nature of the damping caused by the thermal dephasing in the isotropic trap can be tested by the echo effect. A reversible nature of Landau damping is also discussed, and a possibility of observing the echo effect in an anisotropic trap is considered as well. The parameters of the echo are calculated in the weak echo limit for the isotropic trap. Results of the numerical simulations of the echo are also presented.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures included (RevTeX), submitted to PR