液晶空间光调制器产生可调三光学势阱

提出了产生三光学势阱的新方案, 在该方案中用液晶空间光调制器制作相位型闪耀光栅, 单色相干光照明, 产生按等边三角形分布的三个光学势阱, 三个光阱光强大小分布相同, 调节空间光调制器的相位分布, 可以改变光阱的相对位置, 实现三光阱到单个光阱、两光阱合并为一个光阱等演变及其反向演变, 调节过程简单、方便. 根据现有空间光调制器性能和尺寸, 模拟设计光栅, 计算三光阱的光强分布和调控过程中光强的变化, 结果表明: 用一般功率的激光照明, 能够得到具有较大峰值光强和较高光强梯度的可调三光阱, 在原子和分子光学实验研究中有多种重要的应用. 关键词： 原子和分子光学 可调三光学势阱 空间光调制器     

一种新颖的实现冷原子或冷分子囚禁的可控制光学四阱及其二维光学晶格

原子光学晶格为精确操控中性原子和研究某些基本物理问题提供了一种方法。提出了一种利用单光束照明余弦型振幅光栅与透镜组合系统实现冷原子或冷分子囚禁的可控制光学四阱新方案,计算了四阱的光强分布,讨论了从光学四阱到双阱或单阱的演化过程,并导出了光学四阱的几何参量、光强分布、强度梯度及其曲率与光学透镜系统参量间的解析关系,获得了四阱间距与光栅空间频率的关系。研究表明通过改变余弦光栅的空间频率即可实现从光学四阱到双阱或单阱的连续双向演化。     

STIRAP transport of Bose-Einstein condensate in triple-well trap

The irreversible transport of multi-component Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) is investigated within the Stimulated Raman Adiabatic Passage (STIRAP) scheme. A general formalism for a single BEC in M-well trap is derived and analogy between multi-photon and tunneling processes is demonstrated. STIRAP transport of BEC in a cyclic triple-well trap is explored for various values of detuning and interaction between BEC atoms. It is shown that STIRAP provides a complete population transfer at zero detuning and interaction and persists at their modest values. The detuning is found not to be obligatory. The possibility of non-adiabatic transport with intuitive order of couplings is demonstrated. Evolution of the condensate phases and generation of dynamical and geometric phases are inspected. It is shown that STIRAP allows to generate the unconventional geometrical phase which is now of a keen interest in quantum computing.     

Mean-field model for Josephson oscillation in a Bose-Einstein condensate on an one-dimensional optical trap

Using the axially-symmetric time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii equation we study the phase coherence in a repulsive Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) trapped by a harmonic and an one-dimensional optical lattice potential to describe the experiment by Cataliotti et al. on atomic Josephson oscillation [Science 293, 843 (2001)]. The phase coherence is maintained after the BEC is set into oscillation by a small displacement of the magnetic trap along the optical lattice. The phase coherence in the presence of oscillating neutral current across an array of Josephson junctions manifests in an interference pattern formed upon free expansion of the BEC. The numerical response of the system to a large displacement of the magnetic trap is a classical transition from a coherent superfluid to an insulator regime and a subsequent destruction of the interference pattern in agreement with the more recent experiment by Cataliotti et al. [New J. Phys. 5, 71 (2003)].Received: 20 March 2003, Published online: 30 July 2003PACS: 03.75.-b Matter waves - 03.75.Lm Tunneling, Josephson effect, Bose-Einstein condensates in periodic potentials, solitons, vortices and topological excitations - 03.75.Kk Dynamic properties of condensates; collective and hydrodynamic excitations, superfluid flow     

实现冷原子、冷分子光学囚禁的组合三光学势阱方案

提出了一种利用单束平面光波照明液晶空间光相位调制器与透镜组合系统实现在透镜焦平面上的可演化组合三光学势阱方案.分析了该组合三光学势阱的形成原理,计算了势阱的相关特征参数,研究了从组合三光学势阱到双阱或到单阱的双向演化过程.最后,探讨了该组合三光学势阱及其新颖三阱光学晶格方案在实现物质波四波混频、三原子样品冷碰撞性质研究等领域中潜在应用前景. 关键词： 原子光学 原子分子囚禁 液晶空间光相位调制器 组合三光学势阱     

All-optical Bose-Einstein condensation in a 1.06 μm dipole trap

We report the all-optical production of a ⁸⁷Rb Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) in a simple 1.06 μm dipole trap experiment. We load a single beam dipole trap directly from a magneto-optic trap (MOT). After evaporation in the single beam, a second crossed beam is used for compression. The intensity in both beams is then reduced for evaporation to BEC. We obtain a BEC with 3.5 × 10⁴ atoms after 3 s of total evaporation time. We also give a detailed account of the thermal distribution in cross beam traps. This account highlights the possible difficulties in using shorter wavelength lasers to condense all optically.     

The quantum acousto-optic effect in Bose-Einstein condensate

We investigate the interaction between a single mode light field and an elongated cigar shaped Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), subject to a temporal modulation of the trap frequency in the tight confinement direction. Under appropriate conditions, the longitudinal sound like waves (Faraday waves) in the direction of weak confinement acts as a dynamic diffraction grating for the incident light field analogous to the acousto-optic effect in classical optics. The change in the refractive index due to the periodic modulation of the BEC density is responsible for the acousto-optic effect. The dynamics is characterised by Bragg scattering of light from the matter wave Faraday grating and simultaneous Bragg scattering of the condensate atoms from the optical grating formed due to the interference between the incident light and the diffracted light fields. Varying the intensity of the incident laser beam we observe the transition from the acousto-optic effect regime to the atomic Bragg scattering regime, where Rabi oscillations between two momentum levels of the atoms are observed. We show that the acousto-optic effect is reduced as the atomic interaction is increased.     

Bose-Einstein condensation of 87Rb in a levitated crossed dipole trap

We report an apparatus and method capable of producing Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) of ～1 × 10^{6 87}Rb atoms, and ultimately designed for sympathetic cooling of ¹³³Cs and the creation of ultracold RbCs molecules. The method combines several elements: (i) the large recapture of a magnetic quadrupole trap from a magneto-optical trap; (ii) efficient forced RF evaporation in such a magnetic trap; (iii) the gain in phase-space density obtained when loading the magnetically trapped atoms into a far red-detuned optical dipole trap, and (iv) efficient evaporation to BEC within the dipole trap. We demonstrate that the system is capable of sympathetically cooling the |F = 1, m _F = ?1〉 and |1,0? sublevels with |1, +1〉 atoms. Finally we discuss the applicability of the method to sympathetic cooling of ¹³³Cs with ⁸⁷Rb.     

QUIC阱中紧束缚状态下87Rb原子气体的玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体相变的直接观测

在QUIC阱中经蒸发冷却获得了2×10⁵个|F=2,m_F=2〉态的⁸⁷Rb原子气体的玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚.验证了紧束缚状态下原子云的轴向尺寸的变化作为BEC相变的判据，观察了从热原子气体到玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚的相变过程，测量了自由膨胀过程中BEC的纵横比变化，并和理论预言进行了对比. 关键词： 玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚 激光冷却与囚禁     

Generations of dark hollow beams and their applications in laser cooling of atoms and all optical-type Bose－Einstein condensation

We report on a new experimental result to generate dark hollow beams by using a geometric optical method. We propose two new methods to produce focused and localized hollow laser beams by using π-phase plates. Using Monte-Carlo simulations, we have studied the Sisyphus cooling of alkali atoms in pyramidal hollow beam gravito-optical traps. We discuss some potential applications of the dark hollow beams in atom optics and the preparation of an all optically-cooled and optically-trapped atomic Bose－Einstein condensation (BEC). Our research shows that an ultracold atomic sample with a temperature of ～ 2μK can be obtained in the pyramidal hollow beam dipole trap and an all optical-type BEC may be realized in a far blue-detuned, hollow beam trap.     

一种新颖的表面空心微光阱阵列

提出了采用四台阶相位光栅与微透镜阵列组合产生一种新颖的表面空心微光阱阵列的方案，研究了表面空心微光阱阵列的光强分布，计算了相应的光学囚禁势，并讨论了该微光阱阵列在原子分子光学中的潜在应用.研究表明当用1W的YAG激光照射时，在1cm²面积上可产生近10⁴个空心光阱，每个光阱具有较小的囚禁体积和较大的有效光强及其强度梯度，对⁸⁵Rb原子的光学囚禁势可达190μK.如此深的光阱足以囚禁冷原子或冷分子，并可用于实现全光型原子或分子玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚，甚至制备新颖的光学晶格等. 关键词： 空心光阱 冷原子或冷分子 光学晶格     

采用消逝波干涉的二维表面微光阱阵列

提出了一种采用两套超大红失谐消逝波干涉和一束蓝失谐消逝波光场来实现原子二维表面微光阱阵列和原子有效强度梯度冷却的新方案,得到了二维表面微光阱阵列的光强分布和光学势分布.研究发现,二维表面微光阱阵列中微光阱的光学势能够有效地囚禁从标准磁光阱中释放的冷原子,并且被囚禁的冷原子能在蓝失谐消逝波光场的作用下产生有效的强度梯度Sisyphus冷却,对⁸⁷Rb原子而言,原子温度能被冷却到2.56μK.该方案在冷原子物理、原子光学和量子光学领域中有着广阔的应用前景. 关键词： 消逝波干涉 微光阱阵列 原子囚禁 强度梯度冷却     

A controllable double-well optical trap for cold atoms (or molecules) using a binary <Emphasis Type="Italic">π</Emphasis>-phase plate: experimental demonstration and Monte Carlo simulation

We experimentally demonstrate a practical scheme to form a controllable double-well optical dipole trap for cold atoms (or cold molecules), and give some experimental results as well as the fabrication method of a binary π-phase plate. The dependence of the double-well characteristics on the phase etching error of the π-phase plate and the evolution of the double-well optical trap from two wells to a single one are studied both theoretically and experimentally, and the experimental results are consistent with the theoretical prediction. Furthermore, the dynamic process of loading and splitting of cold ⁸⁷Rb atoms from a standard magneto-optical trap (MOT) into our controllable double-well one are studied by Monte Carlo simulations. Our study shows that the loading efficiency of cold atoms from the standard MOT into our single-well trap can reach 100%, and the relative atomic density will be reduced from 1.0 to ∼0.5 during the evolution of our double-well trap, in which the temperature of cold atoms is reduced from 20 μK to ∼15 μK. In final, some potential applications of our controllable double-well optical trap in atom and molecule optics are briefly discussed.     

Bose-Einstein condensates in optical lattices: Spontaneous emission in the presence of photonic band gaps

An extended Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) in an optical lattice provides a kind of periodic dielectric and causes band gaps to occur in the spectrum of light propagating through it. We examine the question whether these band gaps can modify the spontaneous emission rate of atoms excited from the BEC, and whether they can lead to a self-stabilization of the BEC against spontaneous emission. We find that self-stabilization is not possible for BECs with a density in the order of 10¹⁴ cm^-3. However, the corresponding non-Markovian behavior produces significant effects in the decay of excited atoms even for a homogeneous BEC interacting with a weak laser beam. These effects are caused by the occurrence of an avoided crossing in the photon (or rather polariton) spectrum. We also predict a new channel for spontaneous decay which arises from an interference between periodically excited atoms and periodic photon modes. This new channel should also occur in ordinary periodic dielectrics. Received 27 March 2000     

Why PeV scale left–right symmetry is a good thing

We report the results of in-situ characterization of ⁸⁷Rb atom cloud in a quadrupole Ioffe configuration (QUIC) magnetic trap after a radio-frequency (RF) evaporative cooling of the trapped atom cloud. The in-situ absorption images of the atom cloud have shown clear bimodal optical density (OD) profiles which indicate the Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC) phase transition in the trapped gas. Also, we report here, for the first time, the measured variation in the sizes of the condensate and thermal clouds with the final frequency selected in the frequency scan of the RF-field for evaporative cooling. These results on frequency-dependent sizes of the clouds are consistent with the theoretical understanding of the BEC phenomenon in the trap.     

Prospect for BEC in a cesium gas: one-dimensional evaporative cooling in a hybrid magnetic and optical trap

Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) in a atomic cesium gas prepared in a low field seeker Zeeman sublevel and confined in a magnetic trap has been thwarted by a high cross-section of inelastic spin-flip collisions. A recent experiment [1] succeeded in reaching BEC for cesium atoms using all optical methods and tuning the scattering length. We will discuss a hybrid magnetic and optical trap for cesium atoms in the true hyperfine ground state, the high field seeker Zeeman sublevel, F = m _F = 3. Although this trap allows only one-dimensional (1D) evaporative cooling, we show that a route towards BEC with such a trap should be possible. We present simulations of 1D evaporative cooling, which shows that a high phase space density (PSD) of 0.1 could be reached in less than 10 seconds.Received: 25 July 2003PACS: 03.75.Hh Static properties of condensates; thermodynamical, statistical and structural properties - 05.30.Jp Boson systems - 32.80.Pj Optical cooling of atoms; trappingLaboratoire Aimé Cotton is associated with University of Paris-Sud.     

Fundamental modes in waveguide pipe twisted by saturated double-well potential

We study fundamental modes trapped in a rotating ring with a saturated nonlinear double-well potential. This model, which is based on the nonlinear Schrödinger equation, can be constructed in a twisted waveguide pipe in terms of light propagation, or in a Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) loaded into a toroidal trap under a combination of a rotating π-out-of-phase linear potential and nonlinear pseudopotential induced by means of a rotating optical field and the Feshbach resonance. Three types of fundamental modes are identified in this model, one symmetric and the other two asymmetric. The shape and stability of the modes and the transitions between different modes are investigated in the first rotational Brillouin zone. A similar model used a Kerr medium to build its nonlinear potential, but we replace it with a saturated nonlinear medium. The model exhibits not only symmetry breaking, but also symmetry recovery. A specific type of unstable asymmetric mode is also found, and the evolution of the unstable asymmetric mode features Josephson oscillation between two linear wells. By considering the model as a configuration of a BEC system, the ground state mode is identified among these three types, which characterize a specific distribution of the BEC atoms around the trap.     

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.     

Production of a dual-species Bose-Einstein condensate of Rb and Cs atoms

We report the simultaneous production of Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) of ⁸⁷Rb and ¹³³Cs atoms in separate optical traps. The two samples are mixed during laser cooling and loading but are separated by 400 μm for the final stage of evaporative cooling. This is done to avoid considerable interspecies three-body recombination, which causes heating and evaporative loss. We characterize the BEC production process, discuss limitations, and outline the use of the dual-species BEC in future experiments to produce rovibronic ground state molecules, including a scheme facilitated by the superfluid-to-Mott-insulator (SF-MI) phase transition.