349 research outputs found
Reconstruction of the phase of matter-wave fields using a momentum resolved cross-correlation technique
We investigate the potential of the so-called XFROG cross-correlation
technique originally developed for ultrashort laser pulses for the recovery of
the amplitude and phase of the condensate wave function of a Bose-Einstein
condensate. Key features of the XFROG method are its high resolution,
versatility and stability against noise and some sources of systematic errors.
After showing how an analogue of XFROG can be realized for Bose-Einstein
condensates, we illustrate its effectiveness in determining the amplitude and
phase of the wave function of a vortex state. The impact of a reduction of the
number of measurements and of typical sources of noise on the field
reconstruction are also analyzed.Comment: 7 pages; 9 figures; article with higher resolution figures available
from author
Extreme non-linear response of ultra-narrow optical transitions in cavity QED for laser stabilization
We explore the potential of direct spectroscopy of ultra-narrow optical
transitions of atoms localized in an optical cavity. In contrast to
stabilization against a reference cavity, which is the approach currently used
for the most highly stabilized lasers, stabilization against an atomic
transition does not suffer from Brownian thermal noise. Spectroscopy of
ultra-narrow optical transitions in a cavity operates in a very highly
saturated regime in which non-linear effects such as bistability play an
important role. From the universal behavior of the Jaynes-Cummings model with
dissipation, we derive the fundamental limits for laser stabilization using
direct spectroscopy of ultra-narrow atomic lines. We find that with current
lattice clock experiments, laser linewidths of about 1 mHz can be achieved in
principle, and the ultimate limitations of this technique are at the 1 Hz
level.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Non-destructive cavity QED probe of Bloch oscillations in a gas of ultracold atoms
We describe a scheme for probing a gas of ultracold atoms trapped in an
optical lattice and moving in the presence of an external potential. The probe
is non-destructive and uses the existing lattice fields as the measurement
device. Two counter-propagating cavity fields simultaneously set up a
conservative lattice potential and a weak quantum probe of the atomic motion.
Balanced heterodyne detection of the probe field at the cavity output along
with integration in time and across the atomic cloud yield information about
the atomic dynamics in a single run. The scheme is applied to a measurement of
the Bloch oscillation frequency for atoms moving in the presence of the local
gravitational potential. Signal-to-noise ratios are estimated to be as high as
.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Intensity fluctuations in steady state superradiance
Alkaline-earth like atoms with ultra-narrow optical transitions enable
superradiance in steady state. The emitted light promises to have an
unprecedented stability with a linewidth as narrow as a few millihertz. In
order to evaluate the potential usefulness of this light source as an
ultrastable oscillator in clock and precision metrology applications it is
crucial to understand the noise properties of this device. In this paper we
present a detailed analysis of the intensity fluctuations by means of
Monte-Carlo simulations and semi-classical approximations. We find that the
light exhibits bunching below threshold, is to a good approximation coherent in
the superradiant regime, and is chaotic above the second threshold.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Full counting statistics of heteronuclear molecules from Feshbach-assisted photo association
We study the effects of quantum statistics on the counting statistics of
ultracold heteronuclear molecules formed by Feshbach-assisted photoassociation
[Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 93}, 140405 (2004)]. Exploiting the formal similarities
with sum frequency generation and using quantum optics methods we consider the
cases where the molecules are formed from atoms out of two Bose-Einstein
condensates, out of a Bose-Einstein condensate and a gas of degenerate
fermions, and out of two degenerate Fermi gases with and without superfluidity.
Bosons are treated in a single mode approximation and fermions in a degenerate
model. In these approximations we can numerically solve the master equations
describing the system's dynamics and thus we find the full counting statistics
of the molecular modes. The full quantum dynamics calculations are complemented
by mean field calculations and short time perturbative expansions. While the
molecule production rates are very similar in all three cases at this level of
approximation, differences show up in the counting statistics of the molecular
fields. The intermediate field of closed-channel molecules is for short times
second-order coherent if the molecules are formed from two Bose-Einstein
condensates or a Bose-Fermi mixture. They show counting statistics similar to a
thermal field if formed from two normal Fermi gases. The coherence properties
of molecule formation in two superfluid Fermi gases are intermediate between
the two previous cases. In all cases the final field of deeply-bound molecules
is found to be twice as noisy as that of the intermediate state. This is a
consequence of its coupling to the lossy optical cavity in our model, which
acts as an input port for quantum noise, much like the situation in an optical
beam splitter.Comment: replacement of earlier manuscript cond-mat/0508080
''Feshbach-assisted photoassociation of ultracold heteronuclear molecules''
with minor revision
Active optical clock based on four-level quantum system
Active optical clock, a new conception of atomic clock, has been proposed
recently. In this report, we propose a scheme of active optical clock based on
four-level quantum system. The final accuracy and stability of two-level
quantum system are limited by second-order Doppler shift of thermal atomic
beam. To three-level quantum system, they are mainly limited by light shift of
pumping laser field. These limitations can be avoided effectively by applying
the scheme proposed here. Rubidium atom four-level quantum system, as a typical
example, is discussed in this paper. The population inversion between
and states can be built up at a time scale of s.
With the mechanism of active optical clock, in which the cavity mode linewidth
is much wider than that of the laser gain profile, it can output a laser with
quantum-limited linewidth narrower than 1 Hz in theory. An experimental
configuration is designed to realize this active optical clock.Comment: 5 page
Decoherence due to elastic Rayleigh scattering
We present theoretical and experimental studies of the decoherence of
hyperfine ground-state superpositions due to elastic Rayleigh scattering of
light off-resonant with higher lying excited states. We demonstrate that under
appropriate conditions, elastic Rayleigh scattering can be the dominant source
of decoherence, contrary to previous discussions in the literature. We show
that the elastic-scattering decoherence rate of a two-level system is given by
the square of the difference between the elastic-scattering \textit{amplitudes}
for the two levels, and that for certain detunings of the light, the amplitudes
can interfere constructively even when the elastic scattering \textit{rates}
from the two levels are equal. We confirm this prediction through calculations
and measurements of the total decoherence rate for a superposition of the
valence electron spin levels in the ground state of Be in a 4.5 T
magnetic field.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Recommended from our members
Sealant materials for solid oxide fuel cells
The objective of this work is to complete the development of soft glass-ceramic sealants for the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). Among other requirements, the materials must soften at the operation temperature of the fuel cell (600--1,000 C) to relieve stresses between stack components, and their thermal expansions must be tailored to match those of the stack materials. Specific objectives included addressing the needs of industrial fuel cell developers, based on their evaluation of samples the authors supply, as well as working with commercial glass producers to achieve scaled-up production of the materials without changing their properties. Results from long-term stability testing, stability in voltage gradients, thermal expansion and softening, and scaled-up production methods are presented
Parent and child agreement for acute stress disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychopathology in a prospective study of children and adolescents exposed to single-event trauma
Examining parent-child agreement for Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in children and adolescents is essential for informing the assessment of trauma-exposed children, yet no studies have examined this relationship using appropriate statistical techniques. Parent-child agreement for these disorders was examined by structured interview in a prospective study of assault and motor vehicle accident (MVA) child survivors, assessed at 2-4 weeks and 6 months post-trauma. Children were significantly more likely to meet criteria for ASD, as well as other ASD and PTSD symptom clusters, based on their own report than on their parent's report. Parent-child agreement for ASD was poor (Cohen's κ = -.04), but fair for PTSD (Cohen's κ = .21). Agreement ranged widely for other emotional disorders (Cohen's κ = -.07-.64), with generalised anxiety disorder found to have superior parent-child agreement (when assessed by phi coefficients) relative to ASD and PTSD. The findings support the need to directly interview children and adolescents, particularly for the early screening of posttraumatic stress, and suggest that other anxiety disorders may have a clearer presentation post-trauma
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