A Rf Discharge Cell for Saturated Absorption Spectroscopy of Metastable Argon

We have produced a rf discharge in 40Ar and used saturated absorption spectroscopy to offset lock a Ti:Sapphire laser to the absorption peak of the 43P243D3 cooling transition at 811 nm. We describe the procedure for fabrication of the cell and production of the discharge

Simultaneous Trapping of Rubidium and Metastable Argon in a Magneto-Optical Trap

We have simultaneously confined rubidium and metastable argon in a dual-species magneto-optical trap (MOT). Here a binary mixture of atomic species from different groups of the periodic table have been optically confined at ultracold temperatures. We describe the apparatus and characterize the individual, single species MOTs and the dual-species MOT. Both fluorescence and ion production are monitored. With both species trapped, we observe ~5106 85Rb atoms and ~2106 40Ar* atoms. Realization of the dual-species trap opens the way for detailed studies of Penning and associative ionization, photoassociative spectroscopy, and eventually for the production of bound, ultracold RbAr molecules

Role of Spontaneous Emission in Ultracold Two-Color Optical Collisions

We have observed violet photon emission resulting from energy-pooling collisions between ultracold Rb atoms illuminated by two colors of near-resonant infrared laser light. We have used this emission as a probe of doubly excited state ultracold collision dynamics. By varying the detuning of the lasers, we have clearly identified the effect of spontaneous emission on the collision process

Experimental Investigation of Long-Lived Rydberg States in Ultracold Argon

We report on our investigation of the formation and survival of long-lived Rydberg states in argon produced by pulsed laser excitation of ultracold metastable state argon atoms in a magneto-optical trap. The states studied have a 2P1/2 core. Low angular momentum Rydberg states with this core normally autoionize rapidly. If, however, atoms are excited in the presence of electric fields, higher angular momentum states, traditionally termed ZEKE states (ZEKE is derived from zero kinetic energy) can be formed. The lifetime of these states can be orders of magnitude greater than low angular momentum states. In this paper, we report on the time dependence of ZEKE Rydberg state population in an ultracold environment

Spectroscopy of Neon for the Advanced Undergraduate Laboratory

We describe a spectroscopy experiment, suitable for upper-division laboratory courses, that investigates saturated absorption spectroscopy and polarization spectroscopy in a neon discharge. Both experiments use nearly identical components, allowing students to explore both techniques in a single apparatus. Furthermore, because the wavelength of the laser is in the visible part of the spectrum (640 nm), the experiment is well-suited for students with limited experience in optical alignment. The labs nicely complement a course in atomic or plasma physics, provide students with the opportunity to gain important technical skills in the area of optics and lasers, and can provide an introduction to radio-frequency electronics

Extended Tuning of an Injection-Locked Diode Laser

We have investigated the application of an electronic feedback technique recently reported by Repasky, et.al. [Appl. Opt. 45, 9013 (2006)] to an injection-locked semiconductor diode laser. We find that without electronic feedback, the injection-locked slave laser will only follow the master for less than 1 GHz, but once the electronic feedback is applied, the slave laser is capable of following for more than 20 GHz, corresponding to the full scan range of the master laser

Low Saturation Intensities in Two-Photon Ultracold Collisions

We have observed violet photon emission resulting from energy-pooling collisions between ultracold Rb atoms illuminated by two colors of near-resonant infrared laser light. We have used this emission as a probe of doubly excited state ultracold collision dynamics. We have observed the lowest saturation intensity for light-induced ultracold collisions seen to date which we identify as due to depletion of incoming ground state flux. We have also varied the detuning of the lasers which allows us to clearly identify the effect of spontaneous emission and optical shielding

Core Scattering of Stark Wave Packets

We investigate the wave packet dynamics of electrons bound in the nonseparable potential of cesium in a static electric field using time-domain Ramsey interferometry. Specially shaped wave packets with low radial dispersion enable us to view the interaction between the wave packet and the atomic core. Experiments in cesium, together with quantum defect calculations of cesium and hydrogen, demonstrate changes in the motion and shape of these wave packets due to core scattering

Ionization of Rydberg Wave Packets by Subpicosecond, Half-Cycle Electromagnetic Pulses

We have studied the ionization of Rydberg wave packets by subpicosecond, nearly unipolar electromagnetic field pulses, in the regime where the duration of the electric field is less than the classical Kepler orbit time 2n3 for the wave packet. In contrast to the subpicosecond optical pulses, subpicosecond field pulses can ionize wave packets when the probability density near the inner turning point of the Kepler orbit is low. The transfer of energy from the electromagnetic field to essentially free electrons demonstrates that the pulses are substantially shorter than one field cycle. Such half-cycle pulses can track the wave packet throughout its orbit, in order to study wave packet trajectories or other processes at the quantum-classical boundary