Investigation of sub-Doppler cooling effects in a cesium magneto-optical trap

We present an investigation of sub-Doppler effects in a cesium magneto-optical trap. First, a simple one-dimensional theoretical model of the trap is developed for aJ _g = 1 J _e = 2 transition. This model predicts the size of the trapped atom cloud and temperature as a function of laser intensity and detuning. In the limit of small magnetic field gradients, the trap temperature is found to be equal to the molasses temperature and a minimum size for the trap is calculated. We then describe several experiments performed in a three-dimensional cesium trap to measure the trap parameters, spring constant, friction coefficient, temperature and density. Whilst the temperature of the trapped atoms is found to be equal to the molasses temperature, in agreement with theory, the trap spring constant is found to be two orders of magnitude smaller than the one-dimensional prediction, a value close to that predicted by Doppler models. The maximum density is found to be on the order of 10¹² atoms/cm³ or one atom per optical wavelength on average. When the number of trapped atoms becomes large, the temperature begins to increase dramatically. This excess temperature depends in a very simple way on the atom number, laser intensity and detuning, suggesting that its origin lies in multiple photon scattering within the trap.     

Nonlinear forward scattering of resonant laser light from excited neon systems

We investigate forward scattering induced by a powerful single mode dye laser interacting with excited neon systems. We present experimental data obtained with the three transitions: 1s ₄(J=1)-2p ₃(J=0), 1s ₂(J=1)-2p ₁(J=0), and 1s ₅(J=2)-2p ₄(J=2). The lineshape dependences on the gas pressure, the laser power and the laser field fluctuations are discussed in the context of published theories. Our data resemble the calculated lineshapes in which fluctuations in the interaction processes between atoms and laser fields are taken into account. In atomic systems having more complex level degeneracies [1s ₅(J=2)-2p ₄(J=2)] signal structures expected from higher order nonlinear coherences can occur. To theoretically reproduce these lineshapes a simple J=1J=0 model is fully appropriate provided that the level with J=1 has a narrow width.     

Sub-doppler laser cooling of thulium atoms in a magneto-optical trap

Sub-Doppler laser cooling in a magneto-optical trap for thulium atoms at a wavelength of 410.6 nm has been experimentally studied. Without any dedicated molasses period of sub-Doppler cooling, the cloud of 3 × 10⁶ atoms at a temperature of 25(5) μK was observed. The measured temperature is significantly lower than the Doppler limit of 240 μK for the cooling transition at 410.6 nm. The high efficiency of the sub-Doppler cooling process is due to a near-degeneracy of the Landé g-factors of the lower 4f ¹³6s ² (J = 7/2) and the upper 4f ¹²5d _3/26s ² (J = 9/2) cooling levels.     

Temperatures in 3D optical lattices influenced by neighbouring transitions

A detailed experimental study of the steady-state temperature in a 3D optical lattice for cesium has been performed for a wide range of detunings. Specifically, we have investigated the situation with the cooling and trapping light detuned far red of a ( J _g↦J _e = J _g + 1)-transition, where the blue detuned interaction with a ( J _g↦J _e = J _g)-transition can not be neglected. We find that the temperature scales with the optical potential due to the interaction with just the ( J _g↦J _e = J _g + 1)-transition. This indicates that blue Sisyphus cooling has essentially no effect on the dynamics of the system, when there exists a neighbouring red detuned transition. Received 6 June 2000 and Received in final form 26 September 2000     

Oriented O(3P2), Ne(3P2), and He(3S1) atoms emerging from a bent magnetic guide

We describe our observation of strongly oriented total electronic angular momentum J in O(³P₂), Ne(³P₂), and He(³S₁) atoms emerging from a bent magnetic multipole guide, as measured by resonant multiphoton ionisation. This was contrary to our expectation because no additional (uniform) magnetic fields were applied to orient the atoms behind the exit of the guide. Two- and three-photon ionisation techniques were employed to determine the degree of J polarisation, from which we infer that atoms become oriented as a result of a combination of weak fringe fields, possible stray fields, and the fact that molecular beam packets do not oscillate around the geometric center of the bent multipole guide. We conclude that similar effects may exist in other, related experiments and that a detailed characterisation of the degree of orientation is required prior to any study of chemical dynamics or spectroscopy. This paper should serve as a warning for anybody using similar devices not to assume isotropic angular momentum distributions of atoms and molecules emerging from a magnetic guide or a decelerator, particularly when it is bent; whenever possible, the possibility for a J anisotropy should be experimentally checked.     

Critical and Compensation Temperatures of the Ising Bilayer System Consisting of Spin-1/2 and Spin-1 Atoms

The critical and compensation temperatures of the bilayer Bethe lattices with one of the layers having only spin-1/2 atoms and the other having only spin-1 atoms placed symmetrically are studied by using exact recursion relations in a pairwise approach. The Hamiltonian of the model consist of the bilinear intralayer coupling constants of the two layers J ₁ and J ₂ for the interactions of the atoms in layers with spin-1/2 and spin-1, respectively, and the bilinear interlayer coupling constant J ₃ between the adjacent atoms with spin-1/2 and spin-1 of the layers. After obtaining the ground state phase diagram with J ₁ > 0, the variations of the order-parameters and the free energy are investigated to obtain the phase diagram of the model by considering only the ferromagnetic ordering of the layers, i.e. J ₁ > 0 and J ₂ > 0, and ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic ordering of the adjacent spins of the layers, J ₃ > 0 or J ₃ < 0, respectively. It was found that the system presents both second- and first-order phase transitions and, tricritical points. The compensation temperatures was also observed for the appropriate values of the system parameters. PACS: 05.50.+q 05.70.Fh 64.60.Cn 75.10.Hk     

Effect of a random crystalline field on the Curie temperature of an anisotropic crystalline ferromagnet

We examine how substitution of nonmagnetic atoms of one species by another that leads to the emergence of a random crystalline field affects the Curie temperature T _C of an anisotropic crystalline ferromagnet. We study the case of low concentrations, in which individual substitutional impurities create isolated clusters of perturbed magnetic ions with additional easy-or hard-magnetization axes. Finally, we analyze the various sign relations among the parameters D and d of regular and impurity second-order anisotropies with Kramers (J=1) and non-Kramers (J=3/2) angular momenta, and show that usually the effects of a random crystalline field lower the Curie temperature as the concentration of the nonmagnetic impurity atoms increases. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 111, 127–143 (January 1997)     

Two dimension selective coherent population trapping controlled by a phase shift

Two-dimensional laser cooling based on velocity-selective coherent population trapping is investigated theoretically for the J _g=1J _e=0 atomic transition. Wavevectors and polarizations of three laser beams are chosen to realize a coherent superposition of three degenerate ground states. For the first time in laser cooling, use is made of the electric field phases to realize coherent population trapping selective in two dimensions. Numerical solutions and analytic estimates are presented for laser cooling of helium atoms.     

Quantum topological excitations: from the sawtooth lattice to the Heisenberg chain

From the recently determined structure of the delafossite YCuO_2.5, we argue that the Cu-O network has nearly independent Δ chains but with different interactions between the s = 1/2 spins. Motivated by this observation, we study the Δ chain for different ratios of the base-base and base-vertex interactions, J _bb/J _bv. By exact diagonalization and extrapolation, we show that the elementary excitation spectrum is the same for total spins S _tot = 0 and 1, but not for S _tot = 2, and has a gap only in the interval 0.4874(1) ⩽ J _bb/J _bv ⩽ 1.53(1). The gap, known to be dispersionless for J _bb = J _bv, is found to acquire increasing k-dependence as J _bb/J _bv moves away from unity. Received 29 October 2002 / Received in final form 14 January 2003 Published online 6 March 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: sblundell@cea.fr RID="b" ID="b"e-mail: nunezreg@lps.u-psud.fr     

Zeeman effect of atomic uranium in the high lying odd levels measured by laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy

We measured Zeeman effect of atomic uranium spectra using laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy, and derived the J-value and g-factor of the second step levels. J-values and g-factors of high lying odd levels could be obtained. These data, especially the g-factors, have almost been unknown so far. We could verify our method which can be useful to measure J-values and g-factors of high lying levels of complex atoms like uranium. Received 27 July 1999 and Received in final form 30 November 1999     

Studies of the exactly dimerized bilayer Heisenberg model via strong coupling expansions

The one-triplet excitation spectra and thermodynamic properties for the dimerized phase of the frustrated bilayer Heisenberg model are studied using strong-coupling expansion theory. The model has an exact dimerized ground state as well as exact one-triplet excitations in a special case that the frustration J₂ is equal to the in-plane coupling J₁. We demonstrate that the models with and without frustrations have distinct excitation spectra, so their thermodynamic properties exhibit quite different behaviors. Especially, the low-temperature behaviors of the frustrated model with J ₁=J ₂ are independent of the inter-dimer couplings, due to the exact one-triplet excitations. Received 16 March 2000 and Received in final form 2 July 2000     

Transverse-momentum distribution of J/Ψ's in Pb-Pb collisions and gluon rescattering

We study anomalous J/Ψ suppression and p _t broadening in the model of prompt gluons. The anomalous suppression can be successfully described in this model. The transverse-momentum dependence of J/Ψ suppression in relativistic heavy-ion collisions is calculated from initial-state gluon rescattering with both nucleons and prompt gluons produced in nucleon-nucleon collisions in the early phase of the reaction. It seems impossible to describe simultaneously anomalous suppression and p _t broadening in Pb-Pb collisions within the model of prompt gluons with reasonable values of the parameters. Received: 27 September 2001 / Accepted: 12 November 2002 / Published online: 17 January 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: zhuangpf@mail.singhua.edu.cn Communicated by A. Molinari     

Stern Gerlach interferometry with metastable argon atoms: an immaterial mask modulating the profile of a supersonic beam

A new Stern Gerlach interferometer operating with a nozzle beam of metastable argon atoms Ar^* (3p⁵ 4s, ³ P ₂) is described. The selection of incoming (polarisation) and outgoing (analysis) Zeeman sublevels is achieved by use of laser induced transitions at two wavelengths, 811.5 nm (closed J = 2 → J = 3 transition) and 801.5 nm (open J = 2 → J = 2 transition). Linear superpositions of Zeeman sublevels, just beyond the polariser and just before the analyser, are prepared by means of two zones where Majorana transitions take place. In between, a controlled magnetic field configuration (the phase object) is produced within a triple μ-metal shielding. Standard interference patterns are obtained by scanning the field and detecting the atoms by secondary electron emission from a Faraday cup. When a static radial magnetic gradient is used, the beam profile is modulated by interference. The transverse pattern, which can be translated at will by adding a homogeneous field, is observed for the first time using a multi-channel electron multiplier followed by a phosphor screen and a CCD camera. The results satisfactorily agree with all theoretical predictions. Received 27 June 2002 / Received in final form 20 September 2002 Published online 4 February 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: perales@lpl.univ-paris13.fr RID="b" ID="b"UMR 7538 du CNRS     

Modulated Phase of a Potts Model with Competing Binary Interactions on a Cayley Tree

We study the phase diagram for Potts model on a Cayley tree with competing nearest-neighbor interactions J ₁, prolonged next-nearest-neighbor interactions J _p and one-level next-nearest-neighbor interactions J _o . Vannimenus proved that the phase diagram of Ising model with J _o =0 contains a modulated phase, as found for similar models on periodic lattices, but the multicritical Lifshitz point is at zero temperature. Later Mariz et al. generalized this result for Ising model with J _o ≠0 and recently Ganikhodjaev et al. proved similar result for the three-state Potts model with J _o =0. We consider Potts model with J _o ≠0 and show that for some values of J _o the multicritical Lifshitz point be at non-zero temperature. We also prove that as soon as the same-level interactionJ _o is nonzero, the paramagnetic phase found at high temperatures for J _o =0 disappears, while Ising model does not obtain such property. To perform this study, an iterative scheme similar to that appearing in real space renormalization group frameworks is established; it recovers, as particular case, previous work by Ganikhodjaev et al. for J _o =0. At vanishing temperature, the phase diagram is fully determined for all values and signs of J ₁,J _p and J _o . At finite temperatures several interesting features are exhibited for typical values of J _o /J ₁.     

The study of light scalar mesons at BESII

The production of σ and κ in J/ψ decays is presented using 58 million J/ψ events collected at BES II detector. We also report the study of the light scalar mesons f ₀(980), f ₀(1370), f ₀(1500) and f ₀(1710) etc. in J/ψ decays.     

Specific Features of the Kinetics of Atoms in a Three-Dimensional Bichromatic Standing Wave

The three-dimensional kinetics of resonance atoms with the J = 0 J = 1 quantum transition in the weak field of mutually orthogonal bichromatic standing waves under conditions of manifestation of the effect of straightening of radiation forces is considered. It is demonstrated that the character of particle motion (induced by the straightened radiation forces) significantly depends on the relative phase difference of standing waves. In general, it is vortex in character and can suppress the process of localization of atoms in the small vicinity of straightened radiation force nodes even in the presence of a strong friction force. The target-oriented choice of phase relationships between the field components with mutually orthogonal polarization directions guarantees a solution of the problem of purely optical localization of atoms in the mode of vortex-free motion.     

Phase diagram of the Ising Model on a Cayley tree in the presence of competing interactions and magnetic field

We study the phase diagram for the Ising Model on a Cayley tree with competing nearest-neighbor interactionsJ ₁ and next-nearest-neighbor interactionsJ ₂ andJ ₃ in the presence of an external magnetic field. To perform this study, an iterative scheme similar to that appearing in real space renormalization group frameworks is established; it recovers, as particular cases, previous works by Vannimenus and by Inawashiroet al. At vanishing temperature, the phase diagram is fully determined, for all values and signs ofJ ₂/J ₁ andJ ₃/J ₂; in particular, we verify that values ofJ ₃/J ₂ high enough favor the paramagnetic phase. At finite temperatures, several interesting features (evolution of reentrances, separation of the modulated region into two disconnected pieces, etc.) are exhibited for typical values ofJ ₂/J ₁ andJ ₃/J ₂.Partially supported by the Brazilian Agencies CNPq and FINEP.     

Spin waves and exchange interactions in the antiferromagnetic garnets with Fe3+ in the octahedral sites

The results of an inelastic neutron scattering study of the spin wave spectrum for the garnet Fe₂Ca₃Si₃O₁₂(FeSiG) are presented. We compare the exchange parameters for this garnet and for the Ge-species (Fe₂Ca₃Ge₃O₁₂(feGeG)) having the same magnetic structure. We relate the differences found with structural information from powder neutron diffraction. In this way the super exchange paths viap orbitals of intermediate oxygen atoms can be identified. We discuss the effect of a small number (3.2(5)%) of Mn²⁺ impurities in the 24c sites. These lead to an effective ferromagnetic exchange between the Fe³⁺ ions and drastically renormalize the average exchange constants. An estimate for the Fe³⁺–Mn²⁺ indirect exchange between a and c sites of 6(1) K is obtained. The exchange parameters for the pure FeSiG are found to beJ ₁=1.16(4) K,J ₁=0.96(4K andJ ₂=–1.24(4) K for nearest and next nearest neighbours, respectively. These values apply for a moment of 4.02(4) _B per iron atom as obtained from a structure refinement of powder diffraction data. Finally we present results for FeSiG of a high resolution study of the excitations at the zone centre in an attempt to verify our earlier findings of a quantum spin wave gap for FeGeG. In contrast to the earlier measurements, we could follow the acoustical branch to much lower energies using a timeof-flight spectrometer. We found indications for a crossing of the two low lying spin wave branches, the acoustical one extrapolating to the anisotropy gap of 0.005 THz and the antiphase branch extrapolating to the quantum gap of 0.02 THz.     

Monte Carlo study of the antiferromagnetical Ising model on a centred honeycomb lattice

We use the Monte Carlo method to study an antiferromagnetical Ising spin system on a centred honeycomb lattice, which is composed of two kinds of 1/2 spin particles A and B. There exist two different bond energies J_A-A and J_A-B in this lattice. Our study is focused on how the ratio of J_A-B to J_A-A influences the critical behaviour of this system by analysing the physical quantities, such as the energy, the order parameter, the specific heat, susceptibility, {etc} each as a function of temperature for a given ratio of J_A-B to J_A-A. Using these results together with the finite-size scaling method, we obtain a phase diagram for the ratio J_A-B / J_A-A. This work is helpful for studying the phase transition problem of crystals composed of compounds.     

Dark resonances for ground-state transfer of molecular quantum gases

One possible way to produce ultra-cold, high-phase-space-density quantum gases of molecules in the rovibronic ground state is given by molecule association from quantum-degenerate atomic gases on a Feshbach resonance and subsequent coherent optical multi-photon transfer into the rovibronic ground state. In ultra-cold samples of Cs₂ molecules, we observe two-photon dark resonances that connect the intermediate rovibrational level |v=73,J=2〉 with the rovibrational ground state |v=0,J=0〉 of the singlet X ¹ Σ _g ⁺ ground-state potential. For precise dark resonance spectroscopy we exploit the fact that it is possible to efficiently populate the level |v=73,J=2〉 by two-photon transfer from the dissociation threshold with the stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) technique. We find that at least one of the two-photon resonances is sufficiently strong to allow future implementation of coherent STIRAP transfer of a molecular quantum gas to the rovibrational ground state |v=0,J=0〉.