Long-range perturbations produced by a localized packet of ion-acoustic waves in a collisionless plasma

We demonstrate the in situ detection of cold ⁸⁷Rb atoms near a dielectric surface using the absorption of a weak, resonant evanescent wave. We have used this technique in time of flight experiments determining the density of atoms falling on the surface. A quantitative understanding of the measured curve was obtained using a detailed calculation of the evanescent intensity distribution. We have also used it to detect atoms trapped near the surface in a standing-wave optical dipole potential. This trap was loaded by inelastic bouncing on a strong, repulsive evanescent potential. We estimate that we trap 1.5×10⁴ atoms at a density 100 times higher than the falling atoms. Received 14 May 2002 Published online 8 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: spreeuw@science.uva.nl     

The reaction Rb(d,p)Rb near the coulomb barrier

Cross sections for the reaction ⁸⁷Rb(d, p)⁸⁸Rb induced by 4 to 6 MeV deuterons were measured to obtain spectroscopic data on levels in ⁸⁸Rb. The Q-value for the reaction to the ground state of ⁸⁸Rb was 3.837 ± 0.020 MeV. In addition twenty-three levels up to 3 MeV excitation in ⁸⁸Rb were populated. Four different deuteron optical model parameter sets, which fit our ⁸⁷Rb(d, d) elastic scattering data, were used in a DWBA analysis. Assignments of l_n, were made to nine levels on the basis of angular distribution shapes and excitation functions. Relative spectroscopic factors were determined with a maximum deviation of only 15%. However absolute spectroscopic factors were extremely sensitive to the neutron radius parameter, and hence the normalization of the bound neutron wave functions. The structure of ⁸⁸Rb is discussed.     

Development and characterization of Yb-Er laser glass for high average power laser diode pumping

A new strong erbium laser glass (SELG) based on a boro-alumo-phosphate composition is reported. We discuss the synthesis and chemical properties together with spectroscopic and thermo-mechanical data. The new glass composition shows excellent laser performance and withstands high-average power pump radiation. We present laser results at 1.54 μm from flashlamp and laser pumping. In tests with laser-diode pumped Q-switched Er-Yb microchip lasers, we have achieved up to 150 mW of average output power and generated 1.2 kW in peak power. Co²⁺:MgAl₂O₄ was here used as the saturable absorber. Received: 21 December 2001 / Revised version: 14 April 2002 / Published online: 8 August 2002     

Optical spectroscopy and diode-pumped laser characteristics of codoped Tm-Ho : YLF and Tm-Ho : BaYF : a comparative analysis

Single crystals of monoclinic BaY₂F₈ and tetragonal LiYF₄ codoped with the same Tm³⁺ and Ho³⁺ concentrations were successfully grown by the Czochralski method. Here we present a comparative analysis of the two hosts including spectroscopic characterization and cw diode-pumped laser experiments in the 2-μm wavelength region at room temperature. The main differences between the two hosts are a lower slope efficiency associated with a much wider tuning range (2005–2094 nm) of BaY₂F₈ with respect to LiYF₄. Received: 29 July 2002 / Published online: 11 December 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +39-050/2214-333, E-mail: toncelli@df.unipi.it     

Macroscopic oscillations between two weakly coupled Bose-Einstein condensates

We demonstrate, both from a theoretical and an experimental point of view, the possibility of realizing a weak coupling between two Bose-Einstein condensates trapped in different Zeeman states. The weak coupling drives macroscopic quantum oscillations between the condensate populations and the observed current-phase dynamics is described by generalized Josephson equations. In order to highlight the superfluid nature of the oscillations, we investigate the response of a ⁸⁷Rb non-condensate (thermal) gas in the same conditions, showing that the thermal oscillations damp more quickly than those of the condensate. Received 2 May 2002 / Received in final form 19 November 2002 Published online 6 March 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: smerzi@sissa.it     

Continuous-wave tunable Cr2+:ZnS laser

We report the first continuous-wave tunable over ∼280 nm around 2.3 μm room-temperature operation of a chemical vapor transport-grown and diffusion-doped Cr²⁺:ZnS laser, pumped by a Co:MgF₂ laser at 1.67 μm and generating over 100 mW of output power at 16% slope efficiency. The self-consistent results of the laser and spectroscopic analysis demonstrate a large potential of this crystal as an active medium for diode-pumped tunable mid-infrared sources. Received: 7 January 2002 / Revised: 14 March 2002 / Published online: 2 May 2002     

s-wave and p-wave scattering in a cold gas of Na and Rb atoms

Using improved experimentally based X¹Σ⁺ and a³Σ⁺ molecular potentials of NaRb, we apply the variable phase method to compute new data for low energy scattering of ²³Na atoms by ⁸⁵Rb atoms and ⁸⁷Rb atoms. These are the scattering lengths and volumes, numbers of bound states and effective ranges, which we use to obtain the low energy spin-change cross section as functions of the system temperature and the isotope masses. From an analysis of the contributions of s-wave and p-wave scatterings to the elastic cross section we estimate temperatures below which only s-wave scattering is dominant. We compare our quantal results to data obtained from the semiclassical approximation. We supply evidence for the existence of a near zero energy p-wave bound state supported by the singlet molecular potential.     

Manipulation of ultracold atomic mixtures using microwave techniques

We used microwave radiation to evaporatively cool a mixture of of ¹³³Cs and ⁸⁷Rb atoms in a magnetic trap. A mixture composed of an equal number (around 10⁴) of Rb and Cs atoms in their doubly polarized states at ultracold temperatures was prepared. We also used microwaves to selectively evaporate atoms in different Zeeman states.     

Multiple frequency stabilization of lasers using double saturation spectroscopy

We have developed a method of stabilizing multiple lasers based on double saturation spectroscopy. Compared with other laser-stabilization methods based on conventional saturation spectroscopy, ours provides numerous reference spectra constructed with several velocity groups of atoms. Two independent laser sources can be simultaneously stabilized by using combined optical-pumping processes associated with a single Rb reference. We analyzed the stability of the feedback loop taking the correlation effect of the saturation spectra into consideration. We experimentally demonstrated two stabilized laser sources with a frequency difference of 6,109 MHz in the ⁸⁷Rb D₂ line. The results were in good agreement with theory within errors in measurement.     

Recoil Beta Tagging: Application to the study of odd-odd near proton drip line nuclei, 74Rb and 78Y

We present a study of low-spin states in ⁷⁴Rb and ⁷⁸Y using the new technique of Recoil Beta Tagging. This yielded new information on ⁷⁴Rb and has provided the first evidence for non-isomeric T= 1 states in ⁷⁸Y.     

Study of low-lying Rb levels in the Rb(τ, α)Rb reaction

The low-lying levels in ⁸⁶Rb were investigated via the ⁸⁷Rb(τ, α)⁸⁶Rb reaction with a 16 MeV ³He beam. Nine excited levels at 0.49, 0.56, 0.87, 0.98, 1.02, 1.09, 1.42, 1.66 and 2.12 MeV excitation were identified. A distorted-wave analysis was performed yielding spectroscopic information about these levels.     

Rapid formaldehyde monitoring in ambient air by means of mid-infrared cavity leak-out spectroscopy

We report the spectroscopic detection of formaldehyde in ambient air using cavity leak-out spectroscopy, a cw variant of cavity ring-down spectroscopy. This technique proved to be suitable for a real-time quantitative analysis of polluted air without any preprocessing of the air sample. Using a tunable CO-overtone sideband laser for the λ=3 μm spectral region and a ring-down cell with R=99.95% mirrors, we achieved a detection limit of 2 parts per billion formaldehyde in ambient air, corresponding to a minimum detectable absorption coefficient of 7×10^-9/cm (sampling time: 2 s). Calibration problems arising from the polarity of the molecule and due to HITRAN database uncertainties are discussed. Received: 28 March 2002 / Revised version: 7 June 2002 / Published online: 21 August 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +49-211/811-3121, E-mail: muertz@uni-duesseldorf.de     

Accurate mass measurements of very short-lived nuclei

Mass measurements of ³⁴Ar, ^73-78Kr, and ^74,76Rb were performed with the Penning-trap mass spectrometer ISOLTRAP. Very accurate Q _EC-values are needed for the investigations of the t-value of 0⁺ → 0⁺ nuclear β-decays used to test the standard model predictions for weak interactions. The necessary accuracy on the Q _EC-value requires the mass of mother and daughter nuclei to be measured with δm/m ⩽ 3 ^. 10^-8. For most of the measured nuclides presented here this has been reached. The ³⁴Ar mass has been measured with a relative accuracy of 1.1 ^. 10^-8. The Q _EC-value of the ³⁴Ar 0⁺ → 0⁺ decay can now be determined with an uncertainty of about 0.01%. Furthermore, ⁷⁴Rb is the shortest-lived nuclide ever investigated in a Penning trap. Received: 21 March 2002 / Accepted: 16 May 2002 / Published online: 31 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: frank.herfurth@cern.ch     

Transferred hyperfine field of Rb2CoCl4 single crystals in the ferroelectric-incommensurate-normal phase by Rb NMR

The molecular susceptibility and paramagnetic shift of Rb₂CoCl₄ single crystals grown using the slow evaporation method were measured, and from these experimental results we obtained the transferred hyperfine interaction due to the transfer of spin density from Co²⁺ ions to Rb⁺ ions. The transferred hyperfine field was obtained for the ferroelectric, incommensurate, and normal phases. In the case of Rb(I), the transferred hyperfine interaction decreases with increasing temperature in the incommensurate phase, and increases with increasing temperature in the normal phase. The value of H_hf in the incommensurate and normal phases increases abruptly with increasing temperature in the case of Rb(II). These results indicate that the effects due to the transfer of spin density from Co²⁺ ions to the Rb(I) and Rb(II) ions are large above T_i. In particular, the effect due to the transfer of spin density to Rb(II) ions in the normal phase is very large; the variations with temperature of the transferred hyperfine interactions of the Rb(I) and Rb(II) nuclei are more or less continuous in T_c1 and T_i, and are not affected by the ferroelectric-incommensurate-normal phase transitions.     

Accurate characterisation of the C(3)<Superscript>1</Superscript>Σ<Superscript>+</Superscript> state of the NaRb molecule

We present a first detailed experimental study of the C(3)¹Σ⁺ state of the NaRb molecule converging to the Na(3p) + Rb(5s) states of separated atoms. Two different high resolution spectroscopic methods have been applied: the Fourier transform spectroscopy of laser induced fluorescence and the V-type optical-optical double resonance polarization labeling spectroscopy. The entire data field for the C¹Σ⁺ state of Na⁸⁵Rb and Na⁸⁷Rb consists of rovibrational levels with v'=0–64 and J'=4–123. The data were incorporated into a direct fit of a single potential energy curve to the level energies using the Inverted Perturbation Approach method. As the experimental data extend to the “shelf" region of the potential at large internuclear separations of 8.5 ?, the C state's suitability for photoassociation yielding cold heteronuclear NaRb is discussed. Electronic supplementary material Online Material     

Fictitious magnetic resonance by quasielectrostatic field

We propose a new kind of spin manipulation method using a fictitious magnetic field generated by a quasielectrostatic field. The method can be applicable to every atom with electron spins and has distinct advantages of small photon scattering rate and local addressability. By using a CO₂ laser as a quasielectrostatic field, we have experimentally demonstrated the proposed method by observing the Rabi oscillation of the ground state hyperfine spin F=1 of the cold ⁸⁷Rb atoms and the Bose–Einstein condensate.     

Simple and efficient magnetic transport of cold atoms using moving coils for the production of Bose–Einstein condensation

We have developed a simple magnetic transport method for the efficient loading of cold atoms into a magnetic trap. Laser-cooled ⁸⁷Rb atoms in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) are transferred to a quadrupole magnetic trap and they are then transported as far as 50 cm by moving magnetic trap coils with a low excess heating of atoms. A light induced atom desorption technique helps to reduce the collision loss during the magnetic transport. Using this method, we can load cold ⁸⁷Rb atoms into a magnetic trap in an ultra high vacuum chamber with high efficiency, and we can produce ⁸⁷Rb condensate atoms. PACS 39.25.+k; 32.80.Pj; 03.75.Pp     

Power-boosted difference-frequency source for high-resolution infrared spectroscopy

We analyzed the spectroscopic performance of a difference-frequency source that utilizes a 5-W Yb-fiber amplifier for the “signal” radiation in order to increase the “idler” power generated around 4.3 μm. The amplifier is seeded by a monolithic-cavity Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm. The intensity noise spectral density of the “idler” radiation was characterized. Cavity-enhanced saturated-absorption spectroscopy was also performed to test the frequency resolution. In particular, we observed the Lamb-dip spectrum of the ro-vibrational (00⁰0-00⁰1)R(0)transition of ¹⁷O¹²C¹⁶O in natural abundance. To our knowledge, this is the first observation of that transition by the Lamb-dip technique. Received: 19 December 2002 / Revised version: 3 February 2003 / Published online: 16 April 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +39-055/4572-451, E-mail: mazzotti@inoa.it     

Harmonically trapped ideal quantum gases

We solve the problem of a Bose or Fermi gas in d-dimensions trapped by δ ⩽ d mutually perpendicular harmonic oscillator potentials. From the grand potential we derive their thermodynamic functions (internal energy, specific heat, etc.) as well as a generalized density of states. The Bose gas exhibits Bose-Einstein condensation at a nonzero critical temperature T _c if and only if d + δ > 2, along with a jump in the specific heat at T _c if and only if d + δ > 4. Specific heats for both gas types precisely coincide as functions of temperature when d + δ = 2. The trapped system behaves like an ideal free quantum gas in d + δ dimensions. For δ = 0 we recover all known thermodynamic properties of ideal quantum gases in d dimensions, while in 3D for δ = 1, 2 and 3 one simulates behavior reminiscent of quantum wells, wires anddots, respectively. Good agreement is found between experimental critical temperatures for the trapped boson gases ₃₇ ⁸⁷Rb, ₃ ⁷Li, ₃₇ ⁸⁵Rb, ₂ ⁴He, ₁₉ ⁴¹K and the known theoretical expression which is a special case for d = δ = 3, but only moderate agreement for ₁₁ ²⁷Na and ₁ ¹H. Received 17 July 2002 / Received in final form 14 October 2002 Published online 21 January 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: mdgg@hp.fciencias.unam.mx     

Cross-section for collisions of ultracold Li with Na

In a magneto-optical trap (MOT) we are able to simultaneously trap and cool ⁷Li and Na. We investigated the loading behavior of the cloud of Li atoms in presence of the overlapped cloud of cold Na atoms, and, by blocking the weak repumping beam for Na, compared it with the loading curve for Li atoms only. Out of these loading curves we calculated the collision cross-section of Na on Li to be 10^-11 cm ³ /s. Received 11 January 2002 / Received in final form 5 April 2002 Published online 24 September 2002