The recoil effect in a strong electromagnetic field

The recoil effect in a strong resonance field of a standing electromagnetic wave has been studied. In order to find the response to the external field (the induced dipole momentum) it is necessary to take into account the variations in the motion of the atoms in this field: the response and the energy spectrum of the atoms are determined from the system of wave equations for the multi-level atoms. The problem of a weak signal absorption in the presence of a strong standing wave which is in resonance with the adjacent transition, is solved. In this case the contour of the absorption line is shown to diverge into two wide bands, their width being proportional to the strong field amplitude. The contribution of continuous and discrete states of the atoms in a standing wave field has been found.     

Measurement of the Seperation between Atoms beyond Diffraction Limit

We propose a scheme to obtain the distance of two identical atoms placed inside the standing wave field by monitoring the collective resonance fluorescence spectrum emitted by the two particles. We find three different parameter ranges, depending on the distance of the atoms as compared to the transition wavelength. For large interparticle distances, dipole-dipole coupling is negligible, and the main system evolution arises from the interaction with the standing wave field. In the small-distance limit, the dynamics is dominated by the dipole-dipole interaction. Finally, in the intermediate region, a rich interplay of the various couplings arises, which however is lifted for strong driving laser fields. The present measurement procedure allows us to distinguish the three cases. In each of the cases, we show how to determine the distance of the two particles and their respective positions relative to the nodes of the standing wave field with fractional-wavelength precision.     

Observation of collimation and decollimation of an atomic beam in a misaligned standing wave

This paper reports an experimental study on the collimation and decollimation of an atomic beam in a misaligned standing wave, in which the effective detuning caused by the Doppler effect is affected by the longitudinal velocity of the atomic beam. The experiment shows that in a strong field with red detuning between laser field and atomic transition frequency, laser heating in a normal standing wave becomes laser cooling in a misaligned standing wave for an approriate misalignment angle. For blue detuning, laser cooling in a standing wave can also become laser heating in a misaligned standing wave for an appropriate condition. These results ca be used in controling atomic motion.     

Ultracold plasma in blue-detuned optical molasses

The possibility of a new application of optical molasses for viscous confinement and control of the state of ultracold electron-ion neutral plasma containing ions with quantum transition resonant with respect to the laser radiation has been shown. This viscous confinement scheme is based on the action of radiation damping force upon plasma ions in the strong field of standing light wave with large positive (“blue”) frequency detuning from resonance.     

Coherent scattering of an atom in the field of a standing wave under conditions of initial quantum correlation of subsystems

Coherent scattering of a two-level atom in the field of a quantized standing wave of a micromaser is considered under conditions of initial quantum correlation between the atom and the field. Such a correlation can be produced by a broadband parametric source. The interaction leading to scattering of the atom from the nonuniform field occurs in the dispersion limit or in the wing of the absorption line of the atom. Apart from the quantized field, the atom simultaneously interacts with two classical counterpropagating waves with different frequencies, which are acting in the plane perpendicular to the atom’s propagation velocity and to the wavevector of the standing wave. Joint action of the quantized field and two classical waves induces effective two-photon and Raman resonance interaction on the working transition. The effective Hamiltonian of the interaction is derived using the unitary transformation method developed for a moving atom. A strong effect is detected, which makes it possible to distinguish the correlated initial state of the atom and the field in the scattering of atom from the state of independent systems. For all three waves, scattering is not observed when systems with quantum correlation are prepared using a high-intensity parametric source. Conversely, when the atom interacts only with the nonuniform field of the standing wave, scattering is not observed in the case of the initial factorized state.     

高Q腔中原子内态布居对原子平移运动的影响

基于原子作双光子共振跃迁的原子－场缀饰态，讨论了驻波腔场中两能级原子的量子化平移运动与原子内态布居间的相互影响，结果表明原子平移运动敏感地依赖于原子的内态布居，特别当原子处于两内态等权重同相位叠加态时，平移运动呈现出很稳定的特征。     

Proliferation of atomic wave packets at the nodes of a standing light wave

A quantum analysis is presented of the motion and internal state of a two-level atom in a strong standing-wave light field. Coherent evolution of the atomic wave-packet, atomic dipole moment, and population inversion strongly depends on the ratio between the detuning from atom-field resonance and a characteristic atomic frequency. In the basis of dressed states, atomic motion is represented as wave-packet motion in two effective optical potentials. At exact resonance, coherent population trapping is observed when an atom with zero momentum is centered at a standing-wave node. When the detuning is comparable to the characteristic atomic frequency, the atom crossing a node may or may not undergo a transition between the potentials with probabilities that are similar in order of magnitude. In this detuning range, atomic wave packets proliferate at the nodes of the standing wave. This phenomenon is interpreted as a quantum manifestation of chaotic transport of classical atoms observed in earlier studies. For a certain detuning range, there exists an interval of initial momentum values such that the atom simultaneously oscillates in an optical potential well and moves as a ballistic particle. This behavior of a wave packet is a quantum analog of a classical random walk of an atom, when it enters and leaves optical potential wells in a seemingly irregular manner and freely moves both ways in a periodic standing light wave. In a far-detuned field, the transition probability between the potentials is low, and adiabatic wave-packet evolution corresponding to regular classical motion of an atom is observed.     

Spectral specific features of the interaction of two fields of arbitrary intensity with three-level Λ-systems

The spectrum of absorption of a probe field of arbitrary intensity by three-level atoms with the Λ configuration of levels in the field of a strong electromagnetic wave acting on an adjacent transition is studied theoretically. It is shown that the supernarrow resonance, revealed earlier by us, in the absorption spectrum of the probe field far from the resonance with the atomic transition is retained as the probe field intensity increases. The dependence of the amplitude and of the width of the supernarrow resonance on the probe-field intensity is elucidated. The resonance contrast decreases insignificantly (by only a factor of several), even when the probe-field intensity becomes comparable with the intensity of the strong field.     

Role of spontaneous emission through operating transition in probe-field spectroscopy of two-level systems

Analytical and numerical investigations are carried out of the effect of spontaneous decay through operating transition on the shape of a resonance in the work of a probe field under a strong field applied to the transition. A narrow nonlinear resonance arising on transitions with long-living lower level in the work of a probe field can manifest itself in the form of a traditional minimum and a peak as a function of the first Einstein coefficient for the operating transition. The transformation of the resonance from a minimum to a peak is attributed to the specific character of relaxation of lower-level population beatings on a closed or almost closed transition (the decay of the upper level occurs completely or almost completely through the operating transition).     

Driven spin wave modes in XY ferromagnet: non-equilibrium phase transition

The dynamical responses of XY ferromagnet driven by linearly polarised propagating and standing magnetic field wave have been studied by Monte Carlo simulation in three dimensions. In the case of propagating magnetic field wave (with specified amplitude, frequency and the wavelength), the low temperature dynamical mode is a propagating spin wave and the system becomes structureless (or random) in the high temperature. A dynamical symmetry breaking phase transition is observed at a finite (non-zero) temperature. This symmetry breaking is confirmed by studying the statistical distribution of the angle of the spin vector. The dynamic non-equilibrium transition temperature was found to decrease as the amplitude of the propagating magnetic field wave increased. A comprehensive phase boundary is drawn in the plane formed by temperature and amplitude of propagating field wave. The phase boundary was observed to shrink (in the low temperature side) for longer wavelength of the propagating magnetic wave. In the case of standing magnetic field wave, the low temperature excitation is a standing spin wave which becomes structureless (or random) in the high temperature. Here also, like the case of propagating magnetic wave, a dynamical symmetry breaking non-equilibrium phase transition was observed. A comprehensive phase boundary was drawn. Unlike the case of propagating magnetic wave, the phase boundary does not show any systematic variation with the wavelength of the standing magnetic field wave. In the limit of vanishingly small amplitude of the field, the phase boundaries approach the recent Monte Carlo estimate of equilibrium transition temperature.     

Atom localization of a two-level pump-probe system via the absorption spectrum

We propose a scheme to localize a two-level atom inside a classical standing wave field conditioned upon the measurement of the frequency of a weak probe field at resonance excitation of a two-level atomic system. Inside the classical standing wave field, the interaction between the atom and the field is position-dependent due to the Rabi frequency of the driving field; hence, as the absorption frequency of the probe field is measured, the position of an atom inside the classical standing wave field will be determined. The effects of atomic parameters on atom localization are then discussed.     

The effect of the ionic level population on the nonlinear resonances of higher order spatial harmonics

The probe field spectrum of a three-level A scheme with a strong standing wave at the adjacent transition is calculated numerically taking into account velocity-varying collisions. It is shown that even a small population of the upper level changes the shape of the spectrum and increases the absorption in the line center. Taking into account the excitation of the level and the saturation of the adjacent transition allows a quantitative explanation of the experiment on argon ions in plasma of a high-current discharge.     

Power resonances in a Raman gas laser

The observation of a new type of resonance due to double-quantum transitions in the standing-wave field of a Raman gas laser is reported. A resonance dip with a width equal to that of the optically forbidden transition was experimentally detected in the output-vs-timing curve of a Raman Ne laser (λ=1.15 m) upon pumping by radiation of a He−Ne laser at 1.52 m. The theory presented shows that the resonance arises in the third order of perturbation theory when in resonant SRS the line is inhomogeneously broadened. The resonance can be considered as resulting from the overlap of dips in the velocity distribution of the nonlinear polarization induced by the standing laser wave.     

Nonequilibrium Phase Transition in Spin-S Ising Ferromagnet Driven by Propagating and Standing Magnetic Field Wave

The dynamical response of spin-S(S=1, 3/2, 2, 3) Ising ferromagnet to the plane propagating wave, standing magnetic field wave and uniformly oscillating field with constant frequency are studied separately in two dimensions by extensive Monte Carlo simulation. Depending upon the strength of the magnetic field and the value of the spin state of the Ising spin lattice two different dynamical phases are observed. For a fixed value of S and the amplitude of the propagating magnetic field wave the system undergoes a dynamical phase transition from propagating phase to pinned phase as the temperature of the system is cooled down. Similarly in case with standing magnetic wave the system undergoes dynamical phase transition from high temperature phase where spins oscillate coherently in alternate bands of half wavelength of the standing magnetic wave to the low temperature pinned or spin frozen phase. For a fixed value of the amplitude of magnetic field oscillation the transition temperature is observed to decrease to a limiting value as the value of spin S is increased. The time averaged magnetisation over a full cycle of the magnetic field oscillation plays the role of the dynamic order parameter. A comprehensive phase boundary is drawn in the plane of magnetic field amplitude and dynamic transition temperature. It is found that the phase boundary shrinks inwards for high value of spin state S.Also in the low temperature(and high field) region the phase boundaries are closely spaced.     

Chaotic motion of atom in the coherent field of a standing light wave

A new effect of chaotic motion of the center of mass of a cold atom in the coherent field of a standing light wave in a high-finesse Fabry-Pérot cavity is theoretically predicted and numerically implemented in the absence of any random fluctuations due to spontaneous emission. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the Hamiltonian chaos arises near resonance in the range of parameters characteristic of the strong coupling regime that was implemented in recent experiments. The effect is of interest in studying the quantum-classical correspondence and quantum chaos in atomic optics.     

Motion and acceleration of electrons in high-intensity laser standing waves

The motion and the energy of electrons driven by the ponderomotive force in linearly polarized high-intensity laser standing wave fields are considered. The results show that there exists a threshold laser intensity, above which the motion of electrons incident parallel to the electric field of the laser standing waves undergoes a transition from regulation to chaos. We propose that the huge energy exchange between the electrons and the strong laser standing waves is triggered by inelastic scattering, which is related to the chaos patterns. It is shown that an electron's energy gain of tens of MeV can be realized for a laser intensity of 10²⁰ W/cm².     

Standing Wave Effects in Nuclear Resonance Bragg Reflectivity: Comparison of the Energy and Time Scales and First Experimental Results

The applicability of the concept of standing wave for the nuclear resonance Bragg reflectivity of synchrotron radiation has been tested for a microcrystalline (Fe/Cr)₂₆ multilayer. In the time domain the depth selectivity is strongly enhanced. A “scan” of hyperfine field distribution over bilayer depth was performed by a variation of the angle near the Bragg peak. In particular we observed that Fe/Cr and Cr/Fe interfaces are quite different and that the magnetic field orientation is different in the interfaces and in the central part of Fe layers. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Physical forces exerted by microbubbles on a surface in a traveling wave field

The effect of a wave with a varying traveling component on the bubble activity as well as the physical force generated by microbubbles on a surface has been studied. The acoustic emission from a collection of bubbles is measured in a 928 kHz sound field. Particle removal tests on a surface, which actually measures the applied physical force by the bubbles on that surface, indicate a very strong dependence on the angle of incidence. In other words, when the traveling wave component is maximized, the average physical force applied by microbubbles reaches a maximum. Almost complete particle removal for 78 nm silica particles was obtained for a traveling wave, while particle removal efficiency was reduced to only a few percent when a standing wave was applied. This increase in particle removal for a traveling wave is probably caused by a decrease in bubble trapping at nodes and antinodes in a standing wave field.     

Magneto-optical resonances in the field of counterpropagating waves

The resonance of the intersection of sublevels in a probe laser field resonant to the cyclic transition corresponding to the D ₂ ⁸⁷Rb line has been investigated in a zero magnetic field. The strong effect of an additional laser field acting on the adjacent transition has been revealed. In a cell without the buffer gas and antirelaxation coating, the amplitude of the probe-field absorption resonance can increase by more than an order of magnitude in the presence of a counterpropagating wave. The effect is observed at the laser frequency tuned to the cross resonance, when the counterpropagating waves simultaneously act on moving atoms at the cyclic and open transitions with the common lower level. The theoretical analysis of the effect of the additional field on the electromagnetically induced absorption resonance is in agreement with the experimental data.     

Sheared poloidal flow driven by mode conversion in tokamak plasmas

A two-dimensional integral full-wave model is used to calculate poloidal forces driven by mode conversion in tokamak plasmas. In the presence of a poloidal magnetic field, mode conversion near the ion-ion hybrid resonance is dominated by a transition from the fast magnetosonic wave to the slow ion cyclotron wave. The poloidal field generates strong variations in the parallel wave spectrum that cause wave damping in a narrow layer near the mode conversion surface. The resulting poloidal forces in this layer drive sheared poloidal flows comparable to those in direct launch ion Bernstein wave experiments.