Experimental progress in gravity measurement with an atom interferometer

Precisely determining gravity acceleration g plays an important role on both geophysics and metrology. For gravity measurements and high-precision gravitation experiments, a cold atom gravimeter with the aimed resolution of 10.⁻⁹g/Hz^1/2 (1 g=9.8 m/s²) is being built in our cave laboratory. There will be four steps for our ⁸⁷Rb atom gravimeter, Magneto-Optical Trap (MOT) for cooling and trapping atoms, initial state preparation, π/2-π-π/2 Raman laser pulse interactions with cold atoms, and the final state detection for phase measurement. About 108 atoms have been trapped by our MOT and further cooled by moving molasses, and an atomic fountain has also been observed.      

Study of oxygen recombination with a double pulse discharge

Oxygen atoms recombination at the wall is studied by time-resolved Optical Emission Spectroscopy in a pulsed discharge. In order to observe the atomic oxygen emission after discharge pulse, it is indispensable to re-excite O atoms because the lifetime of O* atoms is short. Here is proposed a technique based on a double pulse excitation. Atomic oxygen, created during the main discharge pulse, is probed in a time after-glow with a diagnostic pulse. This diagnostic pulse is as short as possible to only repopulate the atomic excited states, without significant production of supplementary atoms. The intensities of the emission lines O(³P-³S) at 844.6 nm and O(⁵P-⁵S) at 777.4 nm, measured during diagnostic pulse, are observed in the whole time after-glow as a function of delay after main pulse. The decrease of line intensities is related to the recombination of O atoms at the wall. For a “Pyrex” wall at 300 K, the obtained recombination probability γ is 10⁻³. This value is in agreement with previous results. This work was supported by European Community Grant PECO under contract No. CIPA-CT92-4034, by Comenius University under contract No. UK/1590/97 and by Grant Agency SR under contract No. 1/1322/95.     

All-optical ion generation for ion trap loading

We have investigated the all-optical generation of ions by photo-ionisation of atoms generated by pulsed laser ablation. A direct comparison between a resistively heated oven source and pulsed laser ablation is reported. Pulsed laser ablation with 10 ns Nd:YAG laser pulses is shown to produce large calcium flux, corresponding to atomic beams produced with oven temperatures greater than 650 K. For an equivalent atomic flux, pulsed laser ablation is shown to produce a thermal load more than one order of magnitude smaller than the oven source. The atomic beam distributions obey Maxwell–Boltzmann statistics with most probable speeds corresponding to temperatures greater than 2200 K. Below a threshold pulse fluence between 280 mJ/cm² and 330 mJ/cm², the atomic beam is composed exclusively of ground-state atoms. For higher fluences ions and excited atoms are generated.     

Antihydrogen production and precision experiments. The ATHENA collaboration

The study of CPT invariance with the highest achievable precision in all particle sectors is of fundamental importance for physics. Equally important is the question of the gravitational acceleration of antimatter. In recent years, impressive progress has been achieved at the Low Energy Antiproton Ring (LEAR) at CERN in capturing antiprotons in specially designed Penning traps, in cooling them to energies of a few milli-electron volts, and in storing them for hours in a small volume of space. Positrons have been accumulated in large numbers in similar traps, and low energy positron or positronium beams have been generated. Finally, steady progress has been made in trapping and cooling neutral atoms. Thus the ingredients to form antihydrogen at rest are at hand. We propose to investigate the different methods to form antihydrogen at low energy, and to utilize the best of these methods to capture a number of antihydrogen atoms sufficient for spectroscopic studies in a magnetostatic trap. Once antihydrogen atoms have been captured at low energy, spectroscopic methods can be applied to interrogate their atomic structure with extremely high precision and compare it to its normal matter counterpart, the hydrogen atom. Especially the 1S-2S transition, with a lifetime of the excited state of 122 ms and thereby a natural linewidth of 5 parts in 10¹⁶, offers in principle the possibility to directly compare matter and antimatter properties at a level of 1 part in 10¹⁸. Additionally, comparison of the gravitational masses of hydrogen and antihydrogen, using either ballistic or spectroscopic methods, can provide direct experimental tests of the Weak Equivalence Principle for antimatter at a high precision. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Multi-photoelectron fluorescence selective detection of single atoms by laser radiation

The results of fluorescence detection of single Na atoms in atomic beams have been presented. It has been shown that, in recording single atoms via the fluorescence signal from the photoelectron of thek>1 atom, it is possible to achieve extremely high selectivity (S≃10²⁰) of detection of these atoms against a great number of other atoms. The probability of recording the atom is slightly decreased.     

Charge composition of a cluster plasma upon irradiation of large atomic clusters by the field of a superatomic femtosecond laser pulse

A theory is developed for calculating the charge composition of a cluster plasma produced upon irradiation of large atomic clusters by the field of a superatomic femtosecond laser pulse. The theory is based on the overbarrier process of a successive multiple internal ionization of atomic ions inside a cluster accompanied by the external field ionization. Collision ionization is also taken into account in the calculations. The theory is illustrated by the example of a cluster consisting of 10⁶ xenon atoms irradiated by a 50-fs laser pulse with a peak intensity of 2×10¹⁸ W/cm². In this case, the Xe²⁶⁺ ions dominate. The amounts of atomic xenon ions with multiplicity up to 31 are calculated.     

Au原子高Rydberg态场致电离的实验研究

利用电热法将含金物质加热,产生Au原子束,再以两束UV脉冲激光垂直照射,将处于基态的Au原子共振激发至高Rydberg态。滞后于激光脉冲200ns的高压脉冲电场(6500V/cm)加到反应区,使处于Rydberg态的Au原子电离。激光波长在一定范围内扫描,共测出了Au原子的n²D_3/2(n=18—38)和n²S_1/2(n=21—34;36—38)两通道的38条能级的位置。用参数拟合得到²D_3/2和²S_1/2两系列的极限分别为:E_D=74409.8(3)cm^-1,E_S=74410.0(2)cm^-1,计算了每条能级的量子亏损。我们的实验还证明了场电离是一种十分有效的电离手段,比用通常的激光光电离效率要高得多。这在共振电离谱学(RIS)的研究中是一种很有效的方法。 关键词：     

激光冷却获得高亮度的亚稳态惰性气体原子束和原子阱

高强度的亚稳态惰性原子束流在原子分子物理实验研究中具有广泛的应用.使用射频电离方法和激光横向冷却技术制备了高强度的亚稳态氪原子束流,并使用数值模拟方法对横向冷却激光场中的原子径迹进行了分析.通过激光诱导荧光光谱方法测量原子束的束流特性,结果显示,横向冷却后在束流源下游230 cm处的原子束流强度达1.6atoms/(s*sr),束流强度提高了两个量级.利用这种高强度原子束流,我们成功囚禁了1.3×10¹⁰个亚稳态⁸⁴Kr原子,同时冷原子装载速率达到了3.0×10¹¹atoms/s;并利用该装置成功地实现了高亮度的亚稳态氩原子束和原子阱. 关键词： 横向冷却 原子束 原子阱 惰性气体     

Coherent transients in gases

A great variety of coherent transient processes in atomic and molecular gases is investigated. The degeneracy with respect to magnetic sublevels, which is typical of working levels of atomic and molecular transitions in gases, leads to new phenomena. In particular, the non-Faraday rotation of the coherent-response polarization vector at the 0 ↔ 1 transition is investigated in the presence of the longitudinal magnetic field in the ¹⁷⁴Yb vapor for both photon echo and stimulated photon echo. A specific relaxation channel that involves the depolarizing collisions emerges in a gas due to the degeneracy of working levels. Such collisions are especially important for atoms and are also observed in molecules. The anisotropy of the depolarizing collisions leads to a new phenomenon of the collision photon echo, which is experimentally demonstrated for the 0 ↔ 1 transition in the ¹⁷⁴Yb mixtures with atomic buffers. The velocity-dependent relaxation rates are observed for various coherent phenomena in molecular gases. The coherent control of a few coherent transient processes is implemented.     

Enrichment of the nitrogen atomic component with the <Superscript>15</Superscript>N isotope in a post-discharge zone

Isotope atomic composition in the post-discharge zone of a pulsed discharge in a nitrogen flow was studied by electron paramagnetic resonance. It is shown that, while the atomic concentration in the post-discharge zone decreases, the relative content of the ¹⁵N isotope increases more than 30 times compared to its natural abundance. Such a high isotope enrichment exceeds more than fourfold the corresponding maximal value that is predicted for the nitrogen atoms by the existing theoretical model. Analysis of the experimental results shows that the isotope-selective dissociation of nitrogen molecules proceeds in the post-discharge zone after the most part of atoms created in the discharge zone had recombined at the tube surface. A mechanism that explains that a nitrogen isotope enrichment as high as that is quite possible is proposed.     

Laser-fluorescence diagnostics for condensation in laser-ablated copper plasmas

We are investigating the thermodynamic conditions under which condensation occurs in laser ablated copper plasma plumes. The plasma is created by XeCl excimer laser ablation (308 nm, 300 mJ/pulse) at power densities from 500–1000 MW/cm² into backing pressures of helium in the range 0–50 torr. We use laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) to probe velocity and relative density of both atomic copper and the copper dimer molecule, Cu₂, which is formed during condensation onset. At low pressure (10 mtorr), the atomic Cu velocity peaks at approximately 2×10⁶ cm/s. Copper dimer time-of-flight data suggest that condensation onset occurs after the Cu atoms have slowed very significantly. Excitation scans of the Cu₂A-X (0,0) and (1,1) bands yield a rotational and vibrational temperature in the neighborhood of 300 K for all conditions studied. Such low temperatures support the theory that Cu₂ is formed under thermally and translationally cold conditions. Direct laser beam absorption is used to determine the number density of atomic copper. Typical densities attained with 5 torr of helium backing gas are 6–8×10¹³ cm^–3. Rayleigh scattering from particulate is easily observable under conditions favorable to particulate production.     

Non—conservation of energy arising from atomic dipole interactions and its effects on light field and coupled atoms

The interactions between coupled atoms and a single mode of a quantized electromagnetic field, which involve the terms originating from the dipole interactions, are discussed. In the usual Jaynes－Cummings model for coupled atoms, the terms of non-conservation of energy originating from dipole interactions are neglected, however, we take them into consideration in this paper. The effects of these terms on the evolutions of quantum statistic properties and squeezing of the field, the squeezing of atomic dipole moments and atomic population inversion are investigated. It has been shown that the coupling between atoms modulates these evolutions of fields and atoms. The terms of non-conservation of energy affect these evolutions of fields and atoms slightly. They also have effects on the squeezing of the field, the squeezing of atomic dipole and atomic population inversions. The initial states of atoms also affect these properties.     

Atomic-level fluctuation mechanism of the fracture of solids (computer simulation studies)

Experimental studies of the fracture kinetics of solids have shown that the process culminating in fracture of a stressed solid comprises a sequence of elementary events in which stressed atomic bonds are ruptured by local energy fluctuations. This recognition sparked investigations into elementary fracture events and into the fluctuations themselves that are responsible for bond rupture. Currently, only computer simulation of the dynamics of atoms offers the possibility of tracing, in considerable detail, the evolution of fluctuation events characterized by very short duration (～10^?13?10^?12 s). An analysis is made of the results obtained in computer simulation experiments on the temporal and spatial localization of atomic-energy fluctuations and atomic-bond strains, fluctuation migration, the mechanism of fluctuation formation, the role of anharmonicity in atomic interactions, and the magnitude of the volume activated in an elementary fracture event.     

以慢原子束方式进行原子转移的双磁光阱系统

建立了一套用于玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚实验的铷原子双磁光阱装置.从低速强源中获得慢原子束，向超高真空磁光阱进行原子转移.低速强源磁光阱与超高真空磁光阱之间可维持3个量级的压强差,超高真空磁光阱的真空度最高可达1×10^-9 Pa. 慢原子束的束流通量达1×10⁹/s. 约4×10⁸个⁸⁷Rb原子被装载到超高真空磁光阱中.还讨论了两种典型情况下磁光阱中装载的最大原子数.     

Fundamental symmetries studies with cold trapped francium atoms at ISAC

Francium combines a heavy nucleus (Z = 87) with the simple atomic structure of alkalis and is a very promising candidate for precision tests of fundamental symmetries such as atomic parity non-conservation measurements. Fr has no stable isotopes, and the ISAC radioactive beam facility at TRIUMF, equipped with an actinide target, promises to provide record quantities of Fr atoms, up to 10¹⁰/s for some isotopes. We discuss our plans for a Fr on-line laser trapping facility at ISAC and experiments with samples of cold Fr atoms. We outline our plans for a measurement of the nuclear anapole moment – a parity non-conserving, time-reversal conserving moment that arises from weak interactions between nucleons – in a chain of Fr isotopes. Its measurement is a unique probe for neutral weak interactions inside the nucleus.      

E2 dynamic mixing in p̄ and k− atoms of 238U

The energies of the lower atomic transitions of the p and the K^? atoms of ²³⁸U have been measured. The measured values are significantly higher than the energies calculated from the electromagnetic interactions with the ground state of the ²³⁸U nucleus. It is shown that the dynamic mixing of the first excited quadrupole state can explain such shifts.     

Single cycle thin film compressor opening the door to Zeptosecond-Exawatt physics

This article demonstrates a new compression scheme that has the potential to compress a high energy pulse as high as a few hundred Joules in a pulse as short as one optical cycle at 0.8?μm producing a true ultra-relativistic λ³ pulse. This pulse would have a focused intensity of 10²⁴?W/cm² or a₀ of 1000. On interaction with a solid target, this pulse could form an efficient, 10%, relativistic mirror that could further compress the pulse to the atto-zeptosecond regime, with an upshifted wavelength of 1–10?keV. This technique could be a watershed enabling the compression of petawatt pulses into the exawatt and zeptosecond regime possible.     

Efficient Generation of Atomic Singlet State with Rydberg Blockade and Lie-Transform-Based Pulse Design

A protocol to generate atomic singlet state of three atoms is proposed. The strong Rydberg interactions between atoms mediate the multi-qubit operations and help to simplify the dynamics of the system. The effective Hamiltonian is constructed in the regime of Rydberg blockade and the evolution path is built up from an initial state to the target singlet state via the Lie-transform-based pulse design. Numerical simulations show the protocol can produce atomic singlet state with high fidelity and holds robustness against several types of experimental imperfections. Therefore, it may provide some useful results for the generation of singlet states in atomic system.     

Enhanced production of fast multi-charged ions from plasmas formed at cleaned surface by femtosecond laser pulse

We present atomic, energy, and charge spectra of ions accelerated at the front surface of a silicon target irradiated by a high-contrast femtosecond laser pulse with an intensity of 3×10¹⁶ W/cm², which is delayed with respect to a cleaning nanosecond laser pulse of 3-J/cm² energy density. A tremendous increase in the number of fast silicon ions and a significant growth of their maximum charge in the case of the cleaned target from 5+ to 12+ have been observed. The main specific features of the atomic, energy, and charge spectra have been analyzed by means of one-dimensional hydrodynamic transient-ionization modeling. It is shown that fast highly charged silicon ions emerge from the hot plasma layer with a density a few times less than the solid one, and their charge distribution is not deteriorated during plasma expansion.This revised version was published online in August 2005 with a corrected cover date.