331 research outputs found
All-Optical Production of Chromium Bose-Einstein Condensates
We report on the production of ^52Cr Bose Einstein Condensates (BEC) with an
all-optical method. We first load 5.10^6 metastable chromium atoms in a 1D
far-off-resonance optical trap (FORT) from a Magneto Optical Trap (MOT), by
combining the use of Radio Frequency (RF) frequency sweeps and depumping
towards the ^5S_2 state. The atoms are then pumped to the absolute ground
state, and transferred into a crossed FORT in which they are evaporated. The
fast loading of the 1D FORT (35 ms 1/e time), and the use of relatively fast
evaporative ramps allow us to obtain in 20 s about 15000 atoms in an almost
pure condensate.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Optical properties of an ensemble of G-centers in silicon
We addressed the carrier dynamics in so-called G-centers in silicon
(consisting of substitutional-interstitial carbon pairs interacting with
interstitial silicons) obtained via ion implantation into a
silicon-on-insulator wafer. For this point defect in silicon emitting in the
telecommunication wavelength range, we unravel the recombination dynamics by
time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. More specifically, we performed
detailed photoluminescence experiments as a function of excitation energy,
incident power, irradiation fluence and temperature in order to study the
impact of radiative and non-radiative recombination channels on the spectrum,
yield and lifetime of G-centers. The sharp line emitting at 969 meV (1280
nm) and the broad asymmetric sideband developing at lower energy share the same
recombination dynamics as shown by time-resolved experiments performed
selectively on each spectral component. This feature accounts for the common
origin of the two emission bands which are unambiguously attributed to the
zero-phonon line and to the corresponding phonon sideband. In the framework of
the Huang-Rhys theory with non-perturbative calculations, we reach an
estimation of 1.60.1 \angstrom for the spatial extension of the
electronic wave function in the G-center. The radiative recombination time
measured at low temperature lies in the 6 ns-range. The estimation of both
radiative and non-radiative recombination rates as a function of temperature
further demonstrate a constant radiative lifetime. Finally, although G-centers
are shallow levels in silicon, we find a value of the Debye-Waller factor
comparable to deep levels in wide-bandgap materials. Our results point out the
potential of G-centers as a solid-state light source to be integrated into
opto-electronic devices within a common silicon platform
Accumulation and thermalization of cold atoms in a finite-depth magnetic trap
We experimentally and theoretically study the continuous accumulation of cold
atoms from a magneto-optical trap (MOT) into a finite depth trap, consisting in
a magnetic quadrupole trap dressed by a radiofrequency (RF) field. Chromium
atoms (52 isotope) in a MOT are continuously optically pumped by the MOT lasers
to metastable dark states. In presence of a RF field, the temperature of the
metastable atoms that remain magnetically trapped can be as low as 25 microK,
with a density of 10^17 atoms.m-3, resulting in an increase of the phase-space
density, still limited to 7.10^-6 by inelastic collisions. To investigate the
thermalization issues in the truncated trap, we measure the free evaporation
rate in the RF-truncated magnetic trap, and deduce the average elastic cross
section for atoms in the 5D4 metastable states, equal to 7.0 10^-16m2.Comment: 9 pages, 10 Figure
Control of dipolar relaxation in external fields
We study dipolar relaxation in both ultra-cold thermal and Bose-condensed
chromium atom gases. We show three different ways to control dipolar
relaxation, making use of either a static magnetic field, an oscillatory
magnetic field, or an optical lattice to reduce the dimensionality of the gas
from 3D to 2D. Although dipolar relaxation generally increases as a function of
a static magnetic field intensity, we find a range of non-zero magnetic field
intensities where dipolar relaxation is strongly reduced. We use this resonant
reduction to accurately determine the S=6 scattering length of chromium atoms:
. We compare this new measurement to another new
determination of , which we perform by analysing the precise spectroscopy
of a Feshbach resonance in d-wave collisions, yielding . These two measurements provide by far the most precise determination of
to date. We then show that, although dipolar interactions are long-range
interactions, dipolar relaxation only involves the incoming partial wave
for large enough magnetic field intensities, which has interesting consequences
on the stability of dipolar Fermi gases. We then study ultra-cold chromium
gases in a 1D optical lattice resulting in a collection of independent 2D
gases. We show that dipolar relaxation is modified when the atoms collide in
reduced dimensionality at low magnetic field intensities, and that the
corresponding dipolar relaxation rate parameter is reduced by a factor up to 7
compared to the 3D case. Finally, we study dipolar relaxation in presence of
radio-frequency (rf) oscillating magnetic fields, and we show that both the
output channel energy and the transition amplitude can be controlled by means
of rf frequency and Rabi frequency.Comment: 25 pages, 17 figure
Averaging out magnetic forces with fast rf-sweeps in an optical trap for metastable chromium atoms
We introduce a novel type of time-averaged trap, in which the internal state
of the atoms is rapidly modulated to modify magnetic trapping potentials. In
our experiment, fast radiofrequency (rf) linear sweeps flip the spin of atoms
at a fast rate, which averages out magnetic forces. We use this procedure to
optimize the accumulation of metastable chomium atoms into an optical dipole
trap from a magneto-optical trap. The potential experienced by the metastable
atoms is identical to the bare optical dipole potential, so that this procedure
allows for trapping all magnetic sublevels, hence increasing by up to 80
percent the final number of accumulated atoms.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Accumulation of chromium metastable atoms into an Optical Trap
We report the fast accumulation of a large number of metastable 52Cr atoms in
a mixed trap, formed by the superposition of a strongly confining optical trap
and a quadrupolar magnetic trap. The steady state is reached after about 400
ms, providing a cloud of more than one million metastable atoms at a
temperature of about 100 microK, with a peak density of 10^{18} atoms.m^{-3}.
We have optimized the loading procedure, and measured the light shift of the
5D4 state by analyzing how the trapped atoms respond to a parametric
excitation. We compare this result to a theoretical evaluation based on the
available spectroscopic data for chromium atoms.Comment: 7 pages, 5 Figure
Radio-frequency induced ground state degeneracy in a Chromium Bose-Einstein condensate
We study the effect of strong radio-frequency (rf) fields on a chromium
Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), in a regime where the rf frequency is much
larger than the Larmor frequency. We use the modification of the Land\'{e}
factor by the rf field to bring all Zeeman states to degeneracy, despite the
presence of a static magnetic field of up to 100 mG. This is demonstrated by
analyzing the trajectories of the atoms under the influence of dressed magnetic
potentials in the strong field regime. We investigate the problem of
adiabaticity of the rf dressing process, and relate it to how close the dressed
states are to degeneracy. Finally, we measure the lifetime of the rf dressed
BECs, and identify a new rf-assisted two-body loss process induced by
dipole-dipole interactions.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Tunneling control and localization for Bose-Einstein condensates in a frequency modulated optical lattice
The similarity between matter waves in periodic potential and solid-state
physics processes has triggered the interest in quantum simulation using
Bose-Fermi ultracold gases in optical lattices. The present work evidences the
similarity between electrons moving under the application of oscillating
electromagnetic fields and matter waves experiencing an optical lattice
modulated by a frequency difference, equivalent to a spatially shaken periodic
potential. We demonstrate that the tunneling properties of a Bose-Einstein
condensate in shaken periodic potentials can be precisely controlled. We take
additional crucial steps towards future applications of this method by proving
that the strong shaking of the optical lattice preserves the coherence of the
matter wavefunction and that the shaking parameters can be changed
adiabatically, even in the presence of interactions. We induce reversibly the
quantum phase transition to the Mott insulator in a driven periodic potential.Comment: Laser Physics (in press
CARIOQA: Definition of a Quantum Pathfinder Mission
A strong potential gain for space applications is expected from the
anticipated performances of inertial sensors based on cold atom interferometry
(CAI) that measure the acceleration of freely falling independent atoms by
manipulating them with laser light. In this context, CNES and its partners
initiated a phase 0 study, called CARIOQA, in order to develop a Quantum
Pathfinder Mission unlocking key features of atom interferometry for space and
paving the way for future ambitious space missions utilizing this technology.
As a cornerstone for the implementation of quantum sensors in space, the
CARIOQA phase 0 aimed at defining the Quantum Pathfinder Mission's scenario and
associated performance objectives. To comply with these objectives, the payload
architecture has been designed to achieve long interrogation time and active
rotation compensation on a BEC-based atom interferometer. A study of the
satellite architecture, including all the subsystems, has been conducted.
Several technical solutions for propulsion and attitude control have been
investigated in order to guarantee optimal operating conditions (limitation of
micro-vibrations, maximization of measurement time). A preliminary design of
the satellite platform was performed.Comment: Proceedings of International Conference on Space Optics (ICSO) 2022;
3-7 October 2022; Dubrovnik; Croati
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