204 research outputs found
Exact phase shifts for atom interferometry
In the case of an external Hamiltonian at most quadratic in position and
momentum operators, we use the ABCD formulation of atom optics to establish an
exact analytical phase shift expression for atom interferometers with arbitrary
spatial or temporal beam splitter configurations. This result is expressed in
terms of coordinates and momenta of the wave packet centers at the interaction
vertices only.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Lett.
Enhanced frequency up-conversion in Rb vapor
We demonstrate highly efficient generation of coherent 420nm light via
up-conversion of near-infrared lasers in a hot rubidium vapor cell. By
optimizing pump polarizations and frequencies we achieve a single-pass
conversion efficiency of 260% per Watt, significantly higher than in previous
experiments. A full exploration of the coherent light generation and
fluorescence as a function of both pump frequencies reveals that coherent blue
light is generated close to 85Rb two-photon resonances, as predicted by theory,
but at high vapor pressure is suppressed in spectral regions that do not
support phase matching or exhibit single-photon Kerr refraction. Favorable
scaling of our current 1mW blue beam power with additional pump power is
predicted.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures. Modified to include referees' improvement
Using Atom Interferometery to Search for New Forces
Atom interferometry is a rapidly advancing field and this Letter proposes an
experiment based on existing technology that can search for new short distance
forces. With current technology it is possible to improve the sensitivity by up
to a factor of 10^2 and near-future advances will be able to rewrite the limits
for forces with ranges from 100 um to 1 km.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure
Continuous loading of a magnetic trap
We have realized a scheme for continuous loading of a magnetic trap (MT).
^{52}Cr atoms are continuously captured and cooled in a magneto-optical trap
(MOT). Optical pumping to a metastable state decouples atoms from the cooling
light. Due to their high magnetic moment (6 Bohr magnetons), low-field seeking
metastable atoms are trapped in the magnetic quadrupole field provided by the
MOT. Limited by inelastic collisions between atoms in the MOT and in the MT, we
load 10^8 metastable atoms at a rate of 10^8 atoms/s below 100 microkelvin into
the MT. After loading we can perform optical repumping to realize a MT of
ground state chromium atoms.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, version 2, modified references, included
additional detailed information, minor changes in figure 3 and in tex
Momentum transfer using chirped standing wave fields: Bragg scattering
We consider momentum transfer using frequency-chirped standing wave fields.
Novel atom-beam splitter and mirror schemes based on Bragg scattering are
presented. It is shown that a predetermined number of photon momenta can be
transferred to the atoms in a single interaction zone.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Creation, doubling, and splitting, of vortices in intracavity second harmonic generation
We demonstrate generation and frequency doubling of unit charge vortices in a
linear astigmatic resonator. Topological instability of the double charge
harmonic vortices leads to well separated vortex cores that are shown to
rotate, and become anisotropic, as the resonator is tuned across resonance
Prospects for precision measurements of atomic helium using direct frequency comb spectroscopy
We analyze several possibilities for precisely measuring electronic
transitions in atomic helium by the direct use of phase-stabilized femtosecond
frequency combs. Because the comb is self-calibrating and can be shifted into
the ultraviolet spectral region via harmonic generation, it offers the prospect
of greatly improved accuracy for UV and far-UV transitions. To take advantage
of this accuracy an ultracold helium sample is needed. For measurements of the
triplet spectrum a magneto-optical trap (MOT) can be used to cool and trap
metastable 2^3S state atoms. We analyze schemes for measuring the two-photon
interval, and for resonant two-photon excitation to high
Rydberg states, . We also analyze experiments on the
singlet-state spectrum. To accomplish this we propose schemes for producing and
trapping ultracold helium in the 1^1S or 2^1S state via intercombination
transitions. A particularly intriguing scenario is the possibility of measuring
the transition with extremely high accuracy by use of
two-photon excitation in a magic wavelength trap that operates identically for
both states. We predict a ``triple magic wavelength'' at 412 nm that could
facilitate numerous experiments on trapped helium atoms, because here the
polarizabilities of the 1^1S, 2^1S and 2^3S states are all similar, small, and
positive.Comment: Shortened slightly and reformatted for Eur. Phys. J.
An interferometric gravitational wave detector as a quantum-gravity apparatus
As a consequence of the extreme precision of the measurements it performs, an
interferometric gravitational wave detector is a macroscopic apparatus for
which quantum effects are not negligible. I observe that this property can be
exploited to probe some aspects of the interplay between Quantum Mechanics and
Gravity.Comment: LaTex, 7 pages. Version accepted for publication in Nature. Under
press embargo until publicatio
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