Quantum many-body culling: production of a definite number of ground-state atoms in a bose-einstein condensate

We propose a method to produce a definite number of ground-state atoms by adiabatic reduction of the depth of a potential well that confines a degenerate Bose gas with repulsive interactions. Using a variety of methods, we map out the maximum number of particles that can be supported by the well as a function of the well depth and interaction strength, covering the limiting case of a Tonks gas as well as the mean-field regime. We also estimate the time scales for adiabaticity and discuss the recent observation of atomic number squeezing [Chuu, Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 260403 (2005)10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.260403].     

State reconstruction of the kicked rotor

We propose two experimentally feasible methods based on atom interferometry to measure the quantum state of the kicked rotor.     

Coherent slowing of a supersonic beam with an atomic paddle

We report the slowing of a supersonic beam by elastic reflection from a receding atomic mirror. We use a pulsed supersonic nozzle to generate a 511+/-9 m/s beam of helium that we slow by reflection from a Si(111)-H(1x1) crystal placed on the tip of a spinning rotor. We were able to reduce the velocity of helium by 246 m/s and show that the temperature of the slowed beam is lower than 250 mK in the comoving frame.     

Brownian motion at short time scales

Brownian motion has played important roles in many different fields of science since its origin was first explained by Albert Einstein in 1905. Einstein's theory of Brownian motion, however, is only applicable at long time scales. At short time scales, Brownian motion of a suspended particle is not completely random, due to the inertia of the particle and the surrounding fluid. Moreover, the thermal force exerted on a particle suspended in a liquid is not a white noise, but is colored. Recent experimental developments in optical trapping and detection have made this new regime of Brownian motion accessible. This review summarizes related theories and recent experiments on Brownian motion at short time scales, with a focus on the measurement of the instantaneous velocity of a Brownian particle in a gas and the observation of the transition from ballistic to diffusive Brownian motion in a liquid.     

Transition to instability in a kicked bose-einstein condensate

A periodically kicked ring of a Bose-Einstein condensate is considered as a nonlinear generalization of the quantum kicked rotor. For weak interactions between atoms, periodic motion (antiresonance) becomes quasiperiodic (quantum beating) but remains stable. There exists a critical strength of interactions beyond which quasiperiodic motion becomes chaotic, resulting in an instability of the condensate manifested by exponential growth in the number of noncondensed atoms. Similar behavior is observed for dynamically localized states (essentially quasiperiodic motions), where stability remains for weak interactions but is destroyed by strong interactions.     

Optical billiards for atoms

One of the central paradigms for classical and quantum chaos in conservative systems is the two-dimensional billiard in which particles are confined to a closed region in the plane, undergoing elastic collisions with the walls and free motion in between. We report the first realization of billiards using ultracold atoms bouncing off beams of light. These beams create the desired spatial pattern, forming an "optical billiard." We find excellent agreement between theory and our experimental demonstration of chaotic and stable motion in optical billiards, establishing a new testing ground for classical and quantum chaos.