Three-dimensional interference effects in the mechanical action of weak biharmonic fields upon particles with the J=0 → J=1 quantum transition

Explicit expressions are derived for the rectified radiative forces (RRFs) related to the action of a weak interfering optical field of an arbitrary three-dimensional (3D) configuration upon resonance particles featuring the J=0 → J=1 quantum transition. It is shown that, in contrast to the case of a monochromatic field, there are simple 3D biharmonic field configurations for which the ratio of the vortex and potential RRF components can be controlled by adjusting frequencies and polarizations of the interfering light waves. This modification of the RRF structure gives rise to qualitatively different types of both vortex and potential light-induced particle motions that may lead to a 3D spatial localization (confinement) of these particles within the cells of an effective optical lattice with a period significantly greater than the light wavelength. In particular, the particles may perform a stable rotational motion along closed trajectories inside the elementary cells.     

All-optical confinement of ultracold plasma with resonant ions

The solution of the problem of all-optical (nonmagnetic) confinement of ultracold electron-ion neutral plasma based on selective action on plasma ions with quantum transition J=1→J=0 of so-called rectified radiation forces in a strong nonmonochromatic light field is suggested. The presented scheme of the three-dimensional dissipative optical trap for plasma allows one to obtain long-lived ultracold plasma with controlled characteristics. The lifetime of the ultracold plasma in such a trap may exceed considerably (by orders of magnitude) the time of free plasma expansion and the lifetime in the (earlier proposed) optical molasses for the ultracold plasma.     

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.     

The light pressure force and the friction and diffusion coefficients for atoms in a resonant nonuniformly polarized laser field

The motion of slow atoms with degenerate energy levels in a resonant, nonuniformly polarized laser field is described by the Fokker-Planck equation for the atomic distribution function in phase space in terms of the semiclassical approach. Field gradient expansions are used for the spatially nonuniform coefficients of the equation. For closed atomic transitions J _g =J→J _e =J+1 (J _g and J _e are the total angular momenta of the ground and excited states, respectively), new analytical results are presented for the light pressure force and the friction and diffusion coefficients in momentum space. These results allow the kinetic effects (laser cooling, localization in optical potential wells, etc.) in a field of arbitrary one-, two-, or three-dimensional configuration to be investigated. In several cases, the new contributions to the friction coefficient are interpreted qualitatively.     

Optical nutation and photon echo by phase or amplitude shift of light waves

Optical nutation and photon echo caused by phase shift of a light wave incident on a resonant medium are considered. The case of simultaneous ultrashort perturbation of phase and amplitude is also treated. It is shown that a change of linear to circular polarization of incident light waves gives rise to an increase of the period and the decay time of optical nutation on the resonant atomic transitions J→J. On the contrary, the above mentioned period and decay time in the same situation are decreased on the resonant atomic transitions with the moment change J?J+1. This law in optical nutation can be taken as a base of the method for experimental identification of the atomic and molecular transitions. Moreover, the comparison of the theoretical and experimental optical nutation curves allows the probability of spontaneous emission to be determined.     

Steady-state light-induced forces in atomic nanolithography

An analysis of general characteristics of light-induced forces is presented for arbitrary monochromatic masks in which optical pumping of atoms and spontaneous emission play an important role. Dependence of regions of localization on detuning and ellipticity is determined for cyclic transitions of two types: J å J with half-integer J and J å J + 1 with arbitrary J. Numerical simulations of atomic beam focusing with one-and two-dimensional light masks show that spatial atom distributions with narrow features and high contrast can be formed in dissipative masks. In particular, spherical aberration is substantially reduced when the pumping field is tuned to a J å J + 1 transition with large J in lin ～ lin configuration as compared to nondissipative masks.     

Kinetics of atoms in the field produced by elliptically polarized waves

The kinetics of atoms with degenerate energy levels in the field produced by elliptically polarized waves is considered in the semiclassical approximation. Analytic expressions for the force acting on an atom and for the diffusion coefficient in the momentum space are derived for the optical transition J _g =1/2→J _e = 1/2 in the slow atom approximation. These expressions are valid for an arbitrary one-dimensional configuration of the light field and for an arbitrary intensity. The peculiarities of the atomic kinetics are investigated in detail; these peculiarities are associated with ellipticity of light waves and are absent in particular configurations formed by circularly or linearly polarized waves, which were considered earlier.     

Rectification of the dipole force in a monochromatic field created by elliptically polarized waves

The rectification of the force of induced light pressure in laser fields formed by elliptically polarized running waves in zero magnetic field is considered. Explicit analytic expressions for the induced and spontaneous forces of light pressure exerted on a stationary atom are obtained for two classes of closed optical transitions: J _g=J→J _e=J+1 and J _g=J→J _e=J (J is half-integral), where J _g and J _e are the total angular momenta of the ground and excited energy levels. It is shown that the ellipticity of waves is the necessary condition for the emergence of the rectification of the induced force in a monochromatic field. The optimal parameters of the field and the maximum rectification coefficient are calculated for a number of optical transitions. The dependence of the rectified force on the velocity is investigated analytically and numerically for the simplest 1/2→1/2 transition.     

Impurity and exciton effects on the nonlinear optical properties of a disc-like quantum dot under a magnetic field

A detailed investigation of the nonlinear optical properties of the (D⁺, X) complex in a disc-like quantum dot (QD) with the parabolic confinement, under applied magnetic field, has been carried by using the perturbation method and the compact density-matrix approach. The linear and nonlinear optical absorption coefficients between the ground (L = 0) and the first excited state (L = 1) have been examined based on the computed energies and wave functions. The competition between the confinement and correlation effects on the one hand, and the magnetic field effects on the other hand, is also discussed. The results show that the confinement strength of QDs and the intensity of the illumination have drastic effects on the nonlinear optical properties. In addition, we note that the absorption coefficients of an exciton in QDs depend strongly on the impurity but weakly on the magnetic field. Furthermore, the light and heavy hole excitons should be taken into account when we study the optical properties of an exciton in a disc-like QD.     

Investigation of the electrical and optical properties of InAs/InGaAs dot in a well solar cell

The electroreflectance (ER) and current–voltage (J–V) of InAs/InGaAs dots in a well (DWELL) solar cell (SC) were measured to examine the optical and electrical properties. To investigate the carrier capturing and escaping effects in the quantum dot (QD) states the above and below optical biases of the GaAs band gap were used. In the reverse bias region of the J–V curve, the tunneling effect in the QD states was observed at low temperature. The ideality factors (n) were calculated from the J–V curves taken from various optical bias intensities (I_ex). The changes in the ideality factor (n) and short circuit current (J_SC) were attributed mainly to carrier capture at low temperature, whereas the carrier escaping effect was dominant at room temperature. ER measurements revealed a decrease in the junction electric field (F_J) due to the photovoltaic effect, which was independent of the optical bias source at the same temperature. At low temperature, the reduction of photovoltaic effect could be explained by the enhancement carrier capturing effect due to the strong carrier confinement in QDs.     

Short- and long-range screening of optical phase singularities and C points

Screening of signed (charged) singularities-phase vortices in scalar fields, C points in vector fields, is discussed for paraxial optical fields with short- and long-range correlations. A circular region of radius R is assumed. Short-range screening is exemplified by a Gaussian field correlator, long-range screening by a J₀ Bessel function. The short-range screening length is obtained analytically; this is found to be in substantial agreement with recent experiments. For long-range screening, an accurate asymptotic formula suitable for quantitative comparison with data (numerical or laboratory) is derived for the variance of the net charge. A J₀ correlation function is not attainable in practice, but it is shown how to generate a pseudo-long-range optical field whose correlation function closely approximates this form; screening in such a field is well described by our theoretical results for J₀. The charge variance can be measured by three different methods: by counting positive and negative singularities inside the region of interest, by counting signed zero crossings on the perimeter of this region; or by measuring phase derivatives along the perimeter. For the first method, the charge variance is calculated by integration over the charge correlation function, for the second (third) by integration over the zero crossing (phase derivative) correlation function. It is proven explicitly that, as expected, all three calculations yield the same result. It is also shown analytically that for short-range screening the zero crossings can be counted along a straight line whose length is 2πR, but that for long-range screening this useful simplification no longer holds; for this case another formula is given that is suitable for data correction. The effects of boundary smoothing are discussed, and a class of generalized exponential smoothing functions is introduced. Analytical (numerical) results are given for the large R limit of the charge variance for the short (long) range case. Finally, it is shown that for realizable optical fields, both for the short and pseudo-long-range cases, for sufficiently small R the charge variance grows as R², whereas for sufficiently large R it grows as R.     

Nanolithography with metastable helium atoms in a high-power standing-wave light field

We have created periodic nanoscale structures in a gold substrate with a lithography process using metastable triplet helium atoms that damage a hydrophobic resist layer on top of the substrate. A beam of metastable helium atoms is transversely collimated and guided through an intense standing-wave light field. Compared to commonly used low-power optical masks, a high-power light field (saturation parameter of 10⁷) increases the confinement of the atoms in the standing wave considerably, and makes the alignment of the experimental setup less critical. Due to the high internal energy of the metastable helium atoms (20 eV), a dose of only one atom per resist molecule is required. With an exposure time of only eight minutes, parallel lines with a separation of 542 nm and a width of 100 nm (one-eleventh of the wavelength used for the optical mask) are created.PACS 32.80.Lg; 39.25.+k; 81.16.Nd     

A new type of resonances in saturated absorption spectroscopy of 3-level systems

We report the experimental observation of new resonances in saturated absorption spectra of a J = 1 to J = 0 transition of Ne atoms in a static magnetic field. These resonances, which are distinct from the well-known Zeeman and cross-over resonances, result from the modification of stimulated Raman processes by the simultaneous resonant saturation of an optical transition. The light-shifts of the various resonances are also studied.     

Generation of a pilot phase pulse during the propagation of slow elliptically polarized pulses in a medium under coherent population trapping

Propagation of elliptically polarized light pulses in a medium of two-level atoms with degenerate energy levels under coherent population trapping has been studied within the density-matrix formalism and reduced Maxwell’s equation. It has been shown that ellipticity pulses and the orientation angle of the polarization ellipse move with a deceleration. The analytical expression for the group velocity of an arbitrary J → J dark transition (J is an integer) has been derived. In addition, a previously unknown effect of forced phase modulation under the variation of the spatial orientation of the polarization ellipse has been discovered. This phase modulation includes a pilot pulse passing through the medium at the speed of light in vacuum and a slow pulse moving synchronously with the pulse of the orientation angle.     

The temperature-dependent phase diagrams of the spin-3/2 Ising model on a FM/AFM two-layer lattice with a crystal field

The temperature-dependent phase diagrams of the spin-3/2 Ising model on a two-layer Bethe lattice with ferromagnetic (FM)/antiferromagnetic (AFM) intra-layer and either FM or AFM type inter-layer interactions are investigated under a constant magnetic field (H) and in the presence of a crystal field (D) by using exact recursion equations in a pairwise approach for coordination numbers q=3,4 and 6, in detail. In the light of the ground-state (GS) phase diagrams, the temperature-dependent phase diagrams of the model are obtained by studying the thermal variations of the order parameters, response functions and free energy. Then, they are illustrated on the (kT/J₁,J₃/J₁) and (kT/J₁,J₂/J₁) planes for the given system parameters. It is observed that the system exhibits first- and second-order phase transitions for all q values, and hence, in some cases, tricritical points. The existence of critical-end points and that of isolated points are also observed. The re-entrant behavior owes its presence to the two Néel temperatures, T_N, that are present for all q.     

2D dark optical surface lattice with an efficient intensity-gradient cooling of atoms by evanescent wave interference

We propose a novel scheme to form a 2D dark optical surface lattice (DOSL) for cold atoms on the surface of the dense flint glass by using two sets of blue-detuned evanescent wave interference fields and a blue-detuned evanescent wave field. In the 2D DOSL, cold atoms will be trapped in the vicinity of minimum intensity and suffered the minimal light shift as well as the lowest coherence loss. The total potential and trap-depth of the individual optical micro-trap in the 2D DOSL are high enough to trap cold atoms (T = 120 μK) released from the standard magneto-optical trap (MOT), and atoms trapped in the 2D DOSL can be cooled to several μK with the efficient intensity-gradient Sisyphus cooling. The lattice constant of the DOSL can be controllable by changing the incident angles of lights.     

Nanofiber-based double-helix dipole trap for cold neutral atoms

A double-helix optical trapping potential for cold atoms can be straightforwardly created inside the evanescent field of an optical nanofiber. It suffices to send three circularly polarized light fields through the nanofiber; two counterpropagating and far red-detuned with respect to the atomic transition and the third far blue-detuned. Assuming realistic experimental parameters, the transverse confinement of the resulting potential allows one to reach the one-dimensional regime with cesium atoms for temperatures of several μK. Moreover, by locally varying the nanofiber diameter, the radius and pitch of the double-helix can be modulated, thereby opening a realm of applications in cold-atom physics.     

On the shape of cross resonances in counterpropagating wave spectroscopy

Physical processes that generate cross resonances are studied. It is revealed that not only populational, but also coherent, effects can make a contribution to formation of cross resonances. The effects of coherent processes, lifetimes of levels, the parameter of radiation branching from the upper level, and light fields?? characteristics are shown to be qualitatively different for the ??-, V-, and J = 1 ? J = 1 types of transition. Conditions for the change in the sign of cross resonances are found and a situation wherein the cross resonance has a purely coherent nature is shown.     

Three-dimensional rectification of a gradient force in a strong nonmonochromatic field

A new three-dimensional scheme for rectifying a gradient force is proposed and analyzed. The scheme is based on the use of a strong, partially coherent optical field involving a component with a fluctuating phase. It is shown that the rectification of a gradient force acting on atoms with a nondegenerate ground state is a second-order effect with respect to field strength in this scheme, whereas an analogous effect is third-order in coherent bichromatic fields. Conditions for three-dimensional confinement of atoms are obtained by using the velocity dependence of the rectified radiative force. For a large class of atoms, such as even-even isotopes of ytterbium and alkaline-earth elements, these conditions can be implemented at a relatively high effective temperature (of the particle ensemble) of about 10 K. This finding can be used to widen substantially the range of energies of atoms amenable to effective three-dimensional optical manipulation.     

Combined effects of magnetic and electric fields on the interband optical transitions in InAs/InP quantum wire

Combined effects of magnetic and electric fields on the confined exciton in an InAs_1−xP_x/InP (x=0.2) quantum well wire are investigated taking into account the geometrical confinement effect. Variational formulism, within the frame work of effective mass approximation, is applied to obtain the exciton binding energy. The second order harmonic generation and the optical gain are carried out using compact density method. The strain effects are included with the confinement potential in the Hamiltonian. The energy difference of the ground and the first excited state is found in the presence of magnetic and electric fields taking into the consideration of spatial confinement effect. The result shows that the optical properties are more influenced taking into account the effects of geometrical confinement, magnetic field and electric field. It is shown that the telecommunication wavelength can be achieved with the suitable doping barrier material with the wire material and the external perturbations.