Cooling and trapping of atoms and molecules by a resonant laser field

A method is suggested for simultaneous cooling and trapping of atoms and molecules in a low-pressure gas under forces caused by recoil during spontaneous or induced transitions of the particles in the resonance field of a three-dimensional standing light wave. It is shown that at light field intensities ～0.01–0.1 W/cm² it is possible to cool atoms and molecules to the resonance field photon momentum and to hold the particles in the light field volume during a long period of time. The proposed approach opens the way for high-resolution Doppler-free spectroscopy of a small number of atoms and molecules.     

Observation of photon recoil effects in single-beam absorption spectroscopy with an ultracold strontium gas

We report on observing photon recoil effects in the absorption of a single monochromatic light at 689 nm through an ultracold ⁸⁸Sr gas,where the recoil frequency is comparable to natural linewidth of the narrow-line transition 5s^{2 1}S₀-5s5p ³P₁ in strontium.In the regime of high-saturation,the absorption profile becomes asymmetric due to the photon-recoil shift,which is of the same order as the natural linewidth.The lineshape is described by an extension of the optical Bloch equations including the momentum transfers to atoms during emission and absorption of photons.Our work reveals the photon recoil effects in a simplest single-beam absorption setting,which is of significant relevance to other applications such as saturation spectroscopy,Ramsey interferometry,and absorption imaging.     

Photon Recoil in Light Scattering by a Bose–Einstein Condensate of a Dilute Gas

Photon recoil upon light scattering by a Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) of a dilute atomic gas is analyzed theoretically accounting for a weak interatomic interaction. Our approach is based on the Gross–Pitaevskii equation for the condensate, which is coupled to the Maxwell equation for the field. The dispersion relations of recoil energy and momentum are calculated, and the effect of weak nonideality of the condensate on the photon recoil is ubraveled. A good agreement between the theory and experiment [7] on the measurement of the photon recoil momentum in a dispersive medium is demonstrated.     

Interpretation of intensities in electron-momentum and photoelectron spectroscopiesag

Relative intensities for the photoelectron reaction on atoms and molecules are not related to structure calculations in the same way as those for the noncoplanar symmetric (e, 2e) reaction. The photoelectron dipole matrix element is dependent on recoil momentum only through the unique relationship of recoil momentum to the photon energy and is much harder to calculate for chemically-interesting momenta. Relative intensities for binary (e, 2e) reactions are independent of total energy at high enough energies and strongly dependent on symmetry and recoil momentum, for which an intensity profile can be measured for values starting at zero. In comparing with structure calculations, binary (e, 2e) intensities for low recoil momentum may be compared directly with pole strengths in calculations of the one-electron Green's function. In the case of states within a single symmetry manifold the relative intensities will be independent of recoil momentum up to some maximum, usually at least a few atomic units.     

Guiding, focusing, and cooling of atoms in a strong dipole potential

01 ^* (doughnut) modes for atomic beam manipulation. A slow atomic beam is guided over up to 0.3 m and focused down to 6.5 μm radius. The doughnut mode is used as a strong mesoscopic dipole potential with vibrational level spacings up to the photon recoil energy. Polarization gradient cooling in this system generates a bimodal momentum distribution with a narrow component momentum width of 4 ?k. Received: 26 June 1998     

102ℏk large area atom interferometers

We demonstrate atom interferometers utilizing a novel beam splitter based on sequential multiphoton Bragg diffractions. With this sequential Bragg large momentum transfer (SB-LMT) beam splitter, we achieve high contrast atom interferometers with momentum splittings of up to 102 photon recoil momenta (102?k). To our knowledge, this is the highest momentum splitting achieved in any atom interferometer, advancing the state-of-the-art by an order of magnitude. We also demonstrate strong noise correlation between two simultaneous SB-LMT interferometers, which alleviates the need for ultralow noise lasers and ultrastable inertial environments in some future applications. Our method is intrinsically scalable and can be used to dramatically increase the sensitivity of atom interferometers in a wide range of applications, including inertial sensing, measuring the fine structure constant, and detecting gravitational waves.     

Superradiant Rayleigh scattering of high-intensity short light pulses from a Bose-Einstein condensate of dilute atomic gases

Equations of a semiclassical model of superradiant Rayleigh scattering of high-intensity short light pulses from a Bose-Einstein condensate of dilute atomic gases are solved numerically taking into account the excitation of atoms by coherent Rayleigh radiation and their recoil in the backward direction. The evolution of the populations of coherent atomic states with a particular momentum is studied, and the pulse shape and the structure of the spectrum of such scattering are found in relation to the laser beam intensity and the recoil kinetic energy of atoms.     

Relativistic and interchannel coupling effects in photoionization angular distributions by synchrotron spectrocopy of laser cooled atoms

We investigate the angular distribution of photoionization fragments at low photon energies (12-40 eV) in an open shell atom, by synchrotron radiation recoil ion momentum spectroscopy in a laser cooled and trapped sample. For cesium atoms, for which relativistic effects play an important role and the ion recoil is relatively small, we could determine large and rapid changes of the asymmetry parameter beta from two, observed for s electrons outside resonances and far from the Cooper minimum. They can be explained by relativistic effects and interchannel coupling arising from final state configuration mixing.     

Observation of lasing mediated by collective atomic recoil

We observe the buildup of a frequency-shifted reverse light field in a unidirectionally pumped high-Q optical ring cavity serving as a dipole trap for cold atoms. This effect is enhanced and a steady state is reached, if via an optical molasses an additional friction force is applied to the atoms. We observe the displacement of the atoms accelerated by momentum transfer in the backscattering process and interpret our observations in terms of the collective atomic recoil laser. Numerical simulations are in good agreement with the experimental results.     

Precision measurement of ℏ/m Cs based on photon recoil using laser-cooled atoms and atomic interferometry

The recoil of an atom due to the absorption of up to 64 photons is measured, using laser-cooled cesium atoms which are made to interfere in an atomic fountain. Measurement of the photon recoil allows a determination of /m _Cs, and hence the fine-structure constant. The measurement is described and a detailed theoretical and experimental study of potential systematic errors is presented. A relative precision in the photon recoil measurement of 0.1 ppm is obtained in two hours of data collection. The measurement is currently 0.85 ppm below the accepted value of /m _Cs. We cannot now formally ascribe a systematic error, but suspect that the bulk of the discrepancy is due to imperfections of the interferometer beams used to induce the Raman transitions.     

A theory of Doppler and binary collision broadening by foreign gases—I: Formal theory

The quantum theory of combined Doppler and foreign gas pressure broadening at the binary collision level is developed from the point of view of statistical mechanics. A kinetic equation is first derived which is linearized in the radiation field. For line-broadening purposes, this equation is reduced to a steady-state equation for collisions localized in position space. The equation takes into account the effects of photon recoil momentum, binary collision correlations, collisions of finite duration and line-coupling.     

Explicit designs of spin chains for perfect quantum state transfer

For the process of electron-electron (e-e) bremsstrahlung the momentum and energy distributions of the recoiling electrons are calculated in the laboratory frame. In order to get the differential cross section and the photon spectrum for target electrons which are bound to an atom, these formulae are multiplied by the incoherent scattering function and numerically integrated over the recoil energy. The effect of atomic binding is most pronounced at low energies of the incident electrons and for target atoms of high atomic numbers. The results are compared to those of previous calculations.     

光的折射定律(Snell定律)演示实验装置

基于光子动量在不同媒质分界面上沿分界面方向守恒原理,制作了光的折射定律演示装置.使用该装置可演示入射角连续变化,折射角也自动遵循折射定律相应变化.本文介绍了该演示装置的原理、构造及使用方法.     

Modification of radiation pressure due to cooperative scattering of light

Cooperative spontaneous emission of a single photon from a cloud of N atoms modifies substantially the radiation pressure exerted by a far-detuned laser beam exciting the atoms. On one hand, the force induced by photon absorption depends on the collective decay rate of the excited atomic state. On the other hand, directional spontaneous emission counteracts the recoil induced by the absorption. We derive an analytical expression for the radiation pressure in steady-state. For a smooth extended atomic distribution we show that the radiation pressure depends on the atom number via cooperative scattering and that, for certain atom numbers, it can be suppressed or enhanced. Cooperative scattering of light by extended atomic clouds can become important in the presence of quasi-resonant light and could be addressed in many cold atoms experiments.     

Motion of an atom due to anisotropic filtering of its resonance fluorescence

The effect of the specific anisotropy of the environment on the dynamics of a resonantly fluorescing atom is analyzed in a one-dimensional model. The environmental anisotropy, which is manifested as different spectral selectivities of the absorption of spontaneous photons emitted by the atom in different directions, results in the anisotropy of the photon emission rate giving rise to a nonzero recoil force on the atom. The effect under optimal conditions can reach one-quarter of the recoil momentum per single photon emission. This force is directed toward the weaker spectral selectivity.     

用波晶片相位板产生角动量可调的无衍射涡旋空心光束

本文提出了一种用波晶片产生无衍射涡旋空心光束的新方案. 根据晶体双折射的性质, 设计波晶片的厚度, 在一块晶体薄片上对o光和e光分别形成各自的四台阶相位板, 线偏振光入射到该相位板后, o光和e光衍射按强度叠加, 利用准伽利略望远镜系统聚焦, 得到近似无衍射涡旋空心光束. 光路简单, 调节方便. 在近轴条件下, 运用菲涅耳衍射理论和经典电磁场角动量理论, 数值模拟计算了周期数不同的两块波晶片相位板衍射光强和角动量的分布, 结果表明: 两块相位板都能在较长距离内产生近似无衍射涡旋空心光束, 光强和轨道角动量的分布与螺旋相位板产生的涡旋光束基本相同. 在衍射光路中加入相位补偿器, 调节o光和e光的相位差可以调节自旋角动量的大小, 从而可以调节总角动量密度和平均光子角动量的大小. 用这种空心光束导引冷原子或冷分子, 原子在与光子相互作用过程中可获得可调的转动力矩.     

Radial confinement of light in an ultracold anisotropic medium

We demonstrate radial confinement and waveguiding of light in an ultracold anisotropic gas. The waveguiding medium is a laser cooled ensemble of rubidium atoms confined in a trap of large aspect ratio. A recoil induced resonance (RIR) is used to create strong dispersion and large gain in this ensemble. The combination of the anisotropic trap and the RIR give rise to a spatially varying group refractive index resulting in a slow-light optical waveguide. Waveguided pulses of light experience strong gain (approximately 50), low group velocities (c approximately 1500 m/s), and long group delays (delta approximately 7 micros) due to the enhanced path length.     

Experimental study of exclusive 2H(e,e'p)n reaction mechanisms at high Q2

The reaction 2H(e,e'p)n has been studied with full kinematic coverage for photon virtuality 1.75NN transition is the primary contribution at higher momenta.     

Motion of an atom due to anisotropic filtering of its resonance fluorescence

The effect of the specific anisotropy of the environment on the dynamics of a resonantly fluorescing atom is analyzed in a one-dimensional model. The environmental anisotropy, which is manifested as different spectral selectivities of the absorption of spontaneous photons emitted by the atom in different directions, results in the anisotropy of the photon emission rate giving rise to a nonzero recoil force on the atom. The effect under optimal conditions can reach one-quarter of the recoil momentum per single photon emission. This force is directed toward the weaker spectral selectivity.