An Atomic Lens Using a Focusing Hollow Beam

We propose a new method to generate a focused hollow laser beam by using an azimuthally distributed 2π-phase plate and a convergent thin lens,and calculate the intensity distribution of the focused hollow beam in free propagation space.The relationship between the waist w0 of the incident collimated Gaussian beam and the dark spot size of the focused hollow beam at the focal point,and the relationship between the focal lenght f of the thin lens and the dark spot size are studied respectively.The optical potential of the blue-detuned focused hollow beam for^85 Rb atoms is calculated.Our study shows that when the larger waist w of the incident Gaussian beam and the shorter focal length f of the lens are chosen,we can obtain an extremely small dark spot size of the focused hollow beam,which can be used to form an atomic lens with a resolution of sereval angstroms.     

Magnetic focusing of cold atomic beam with a 2D array of current-carrying wires

A new scheme to realize a two-dimensional (2D) array of magnetic micro-lenses for a cold atomic beam,formed by an array of square current-carrying wires,is proposed.We calculate the spatial distributions of the magnetic fields from the array of current-carrying wires and the magnetic focusing potential for cold rubidium atoms,and study the dynamic focusing processes of cold atoms passing through the magnetic micro-lens array and its focusing properties by using Monte-Carlo simulations and trajectory tracing method.The result shows that the proposed micro-lens array can be used to focus effectively a cold atomic beam,even to load ultracold atoms or a BEC sample into a 2D optical lattice formed by blue detuned hollow beams.     

Intense source of cold cesium atoms based on a two-dimensional magneto–optical trap with independent axial cooling and pushing

We report our studies on an intense source of cold cesium atoms based on a two-dimensional(2D) magneto–optical trap(MOT) with independent axial cooling and pushing.The new-designed source,proposed as 2D-HP MOT,uses hollow laser beams for axial cooling and a thin pushing laser beam to extract a cold atomic beam.With the independent pushing beam,the atomic flux can be substantially optimized.The total atomic flux maximum obtained in the 2D-HP MOT is4.02 × 1010atoms/s,increased by 60 percent compared to the traditional 2D+MOT in our experiment.Moreover,with the pushing power 10 μW and detuning 0Γ,the 2D-HP MOT can generate a rather intense atomic beam with the concomitant light shift suppressed by a factor of 20.The axial velocity distribution of the cold cesium beams centers at 6.8 m/s with an FMHW of about 2.8 m/s.The dependences of the atomic flux on the pushing power and detuning are studied in detail.The experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical model.     

Magnetic focusing of cold atomic beam with a 2D array of current-carrying wires

A new scheme to realize a two-dimensional (2D) array of magnetic micro-lenses for a cold atomic beam, formed by an array of square current-carrying wires, is proposed. We calculate the spatial distributions of the magnetic fields from the array of current-carrying wires and the magnetic focusing potential for cold rubidium atoms, and study the dynamic focusing processes of cold atoms passing through the magnetic micro-lens array and its focusing properties by using Monte-Carlo simulations and trajectory tracing method. The result shows that the proposed micro-lens array can be used to focus effectively a cold atomic beam, even to load ultracold atoms or a BBC sample into a 2D optical lattice formed by blue detuned hollow beams.     

A Novel Gravito-Optical Surface Trap for Neutral Atoms

We propose a novel gravito-optical surface trap （COST） for neutral atoms based on one-dimensional intensity gradient cooling. The surface optical trap is composed of a blue-detuned reduced semi-Gaussian laser beam （SGB）, a far-blue-detuned dark hollow beam and the gravity field. The SGB is produced by the diffraction of a collimated Gaussian laser beam passing through the straight edge of a semi-infinite opaque plate and then is reduced by an imaging lens. We calculate the intensity distribution of the reduced SGB, and study the dynamic process of the SGB intensity-gradient induced Sisyphus cooling for ^87Rb atoms by using Monte Carlo simulations. Our study shows that the proposed GOST can be used not only to trap cold atoms loaded from a standard magneto-optical trap, but also to cool the trapped atoms to an equilibrium temperature of 3.47μK from ～120μK, even to realize an all-optical two-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensation by using optlcal-potential evaporative cooling.     

PYRAMIDAL-HOLLOW-BEAM DIPOLE TRAP FOR ALKALI ATOMS

We propose a dark gravito-optical dipole trap, for alkali atoms, consisting of a blue-detuned, pyramidal-hollow laser beam propagating upward and the gravity field. When cold atoms from a magneto-optical trap are loaded into the pyramidal-hollow beam and bounce inside the pyramidal-hollow beam, they experience efficient Sisyphus cooling and geometric cooling induced by the pyramidal-hollow beam and the weak repumping beam propagating downward. Our study shows that an ultracold and dense atomic sample with an equilibrium 3D momentum of ～3 \hbar k and an atomic density above the point of Bose-Einstein condensation may be obtained in this pure optical trap.     

Generation of a hollow laser beam by a multimode fiber

A simple method to generate a hollow laser beam by multimode fiber is reported.A dark hollow laser beam is generated from a multimode fiber and the dependence of the output beam profile on the incident angle of laser beam is analyzed.The results show that this hollow laser beam can be used to trap and guide cold atoms.     

Proposal of a Novel Compact Cold Atomic Fountain Clock

We propose a novel atomic fountain clock which is compact and transportable. The clock is 60-cm in height. Its linewidth is expected to be 1.75Hz, with accuracy 10^-14, stability 10^-14 and signal-noise ratio 10^3. A hollow beam is applied as atomic wave-guide, which can increase the stability and the signal-noise ratio by one order. The hollow beam will not affect the accuracy of the clock, if the frequency shift due to the hollow beam is amended and the fluctuation of the hollow beam intensity is controlled to be smaller than 0.6%.     

Velocity-tunable cold Cs atomic beam from a magneto-optical trap

The construction of a two-dimensional magneto–optical trap with hollow cooling and pushing(2D-HP MOT) is reported in detail,and a velocity-tunable cold atomic beam produced by this 2D-HP MOT is demonstrated.The magneto–optical trap system,which is constructed by a transparent quartz tube,is low in price,easy to fabricate and assemble,and convenient for atomic trapping and detection.The mean axial velocity of the cold atomic beam can be tuned from 4.5 to 8 m/s,while the atomic flux remains at a level of 10~(10) atoms∕s.This cold atomic beam source can be applied in the areas of high-precision measurements based on cold atoms.     

Efficient loading of ultracold sodium atoms in an optical dipole trap from a high power fiber laser

We report on a research of the loading of ultracold sodium atoms in an optical dipole trap,generated by two beams from a high power fiber laser.The effects of optical trap light power on atomic number,temperature and phase space density are experimentally investigated.A simple theory is proposed and it is in good accordance with the experimental results of the loaded atomic numbers.In a general estimation,an optimal value for each beam with a power of 9 W from the fiber laser is achieved.Our results provide a further understanding of the loading process of optical dipole trap and laid the foundation for generation of a sodium Bose–Einstein condensation with an optical dipole trap.     

Observing Nanometre Scale Particles with Light Scattering for Manipulation Using Optical Tweezers

Nanometre-scale particles can be manipulated using optical tweezers, but cannot be directly observed. We present a simple method that nanoparticles can be directly observed using optical tweezers combined with dark field microscopy. A laser beam perpendicular to a tightly focused laser beam for trap illuminates specimen and does not enter objective, nanoparticles in focal plane all can be directly observed in dark field because of light scattering. It is implemented that the polystyrene beads of diameter lOOnm can be directly observed and trapped.     

Enhancement of Transfer Efficiency of Cold Atoms Using an Optical Guiding Laser Beam

We transfer cold ^87 Rb atoms from a vapour cell chamber to a spatially separated UHV magneto-optical trap （MOT） with the assistance of a red-detuned optical guiding beam and a normal push beam. Efficient optical guiding of the cold atoms is observed within a small detuning window. A pulsed optical guiding beam enhances the transfer efficiency and hence allows us to collect more atoms in UHV MOT in a shorter time, which is favourable for our experiment of achieving Bose-Einstein condensates （BEC）. Besides the easy operation, another advantage of this optical guiding technique is also demonstrated such that slower atomic beams may be efficiently transferred along horizontal direction. This study is a direct application of the optical guiding technique as a powerful tool.     

Production and guidance of pulsed atomic beams on chip

We demonstrated two experimental methods of producing and guiding pulsed atomic beams on chip. One is to trap atoms first in a U-type magneto-optical trap on the chip, then transfer them to the magnetic guide field and push them simultaneously by a continuous force from the power imbalance of the magneto-optical trap laser beams hence the pulsed cold atom beams are produced and move along the magnetic guide to the destination. The other is to trap atoms directly by a H-type magneto-optical trap, then push them to make them move along the magnetic guide field, thus high rate cold atom beams can be produced and guided on the chip.     

Improved atom number with a dual color magneto-optical trap

We demonstrate a novel dual color magneto–optical trap (MOT), which uses two sets of overlapping laser beams to cool and trap 87 Rb atoms. The volume of cold cloud in the dual color MOT is strongly dependent on the frequency difference of the laser beams and can be significantly larger than that in the normal MOT with single frequency MOT beams. Our experiment shows that the dual color MOT has the same loading rate as the normal MOT, but much longer loading time, leading to threefold increase in the number of trapped atoms. This indicates that the larger number is caused by reduced light induced loss. The dual color MOT is very useful in experiments where both high vacuum level and large atom number are required, such as single chamber quantum memory and Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC) experiments. Compared to the popular dark spontaneous-force optical trap (dark SPOT) technique, our approach is technically simpler and more suitable to low power laser systems.     

Ultra-Slow Atomic Beam Generation by Velocity Selective Resonance

We describe a method to generate an ultra-slow atomic beam by velocity selective resonance （VSR）. A VSR experiment on a metastable helium beam in a magnetic field is presented and the results show that the transverse velocity of the deflected beam can be cooled and precisely controlled to less than the recoil velocity, depending on the magnitude of the magnetic field. We extend this idea to a cold atomic cloud to produce an ultra-slow 87Rb beam that can be used as a source of an atomic fountain clock or a space clock.     

Generation of a Dark Hollow Beam inside a Cavity

A new method is introduced to generate a hollow beam inside a cavity.Using a matrix eigenvalue method,the laser resonator with optical diffraction elements is theoretically analysed and simulated.The hollow beam can be obtained theoretically by controlling the parameters of the diffraction functions.After designed the diffraction components in the cavity,a hollow beam of good quality is realized experimentally using a YAG solid state laser.     

Controllable Magnetic Focusing of Cold Atoms on a Chip

We propose a new lens scheme to focus cold atoms by using a controllable inhomogeneous magnetic field from a square current-carrying wire fabricated on a chip. The spatial distributions of the magnetic field are calculated, and the results show that the generated magnetic field is a two-dimensional （2D） quadrupole one and can be used to focus cold atoms or a cold atomic beam. The dynamic processes of cold atoms passing through our square wire layout and its focusing properties are studied by using Monte Carlo simulations. Our study shows that the atomic clouds can be focused effectively by our magnetic lens scheme, and the focal length of the atomic lens and its radius of focused spot can be continuously changed by adjusting the current in the wires.     

A novel method to measure the isotope shifts and hyperfine splittings of all ytterbium isotopes for a 399-nm transition

We report the experimental results on measuring the isotope shifts and hyperfine splittings of all ytterbium isotopes for a 399-nm transition by using a quite simple and novel method.It benefits from the advantages of the modulation transfer spectroscopy in an ytterbium hollow cathode lamp and the Doppler-free spectroscopy in a collimated ytterbium atomic beam.The key technique in this experiment is simultaneously measuring the frequency separations of the two spectra twice,and the separation difference between two measurements is solely determined by the well-defined frequency of an acousto-optics modulator.Compared with the most of previously reported experimental results,ours are more accurate and completed,which will provide the useful information for developing a more accurate theoretical model to describe the interaction inside an ytterbium atom.     

Atomic Funnel Composed of an HE11—Mode output Hollow Beam

Using exact solutions of Maxwell equations based on the vector model.we calculate the diffracted near-and far-field distributions of the HE11-mode output beam from a micron-sized hollow optical fibre under the fresnel aproximation.and compare the differences between the HE11-and LP01-mode output beams.our study shows that it is unsuitable to calculate the diffracted near-field distribution of the hollow fibre by using weakly waveguiding approximation,and the near-and far-field intensity distributions of the HE11-mode output beam are doughnut-like,which can be used to form a simple atomic funnel as it is blue-detuned.     

Controllable optical multi-well trap and its optical lattices using compounded cosine patterns

This paper proposes a flexible scheme to form various optical multi-well traps for cold atoms or molecules by using a simple optical system composed of an compounded amplitude cosine-only grating and a single lens illuminated by a plane light wave or a Gaussian beam.Dynamic manipulation and evolution of multi-well trap can be easily implemented by controlling the modulation frequency of the cosine patterns.It also discusses how to expand this multi-well trap to two-dimensional lattices with single-or multi-well trap by using an orthogonally or non-orthogonally modulated grating,as well as using incoherent multi-beam illumination,and these results show that all the symmetric structures of two-dimensional Bravais lattices can be obtained facilely by using proposed scheme.