Abstract
We report on the realization and characterisation of optical potentials for ultracold atoms using a superluminescent diode. The light emitted by this class of diodes is characterised by high spatial coherence but low temporal coherence. On the one hand, this implies that it follows Gaussian propagation similar to lasers, allowing for high intensities and well-collimated beams. On the other, it significantly reduces those interference effects that lead to severe distortions in imaging. By using a high-resolution optical setup, we produce patterned optical potentials with a digital micromirror device and demonstrate that the quality of the patterns produced by our superluminescent diode is consistently and substantially higher than those produced by our laser. We show that the resulting optical potentials can be used to arrange the atoms in arbitrary structures and manipulate them dynamically. Our results can open new opportunities in the fields of quantum simulations and atomtronics.
Highlights
Quantum simulations with cold atoms is one of the most productive areas in quantum technology, and has provided us with important insight in condensed matter physics [1,2], the physics of disordered systems including the observation of Anderson localization [3,4], low-dimensional systems [5], the use of synthetic fields [6] and dimensions [7], high-energy physics including Higgs modes [8] and black holes [9], topological effects [10], and many more
While the coherence of laser light is a key feature for the vast majority of the applications discussed, it could represent a hindrance in the generation of complex patterns using digital micromirror devices (DMDs)
We show that the low temporal coherence of super luminescent diodes (SLDs) allows us to produce images with significantly reduced interference effects compared to a laser
Summary
Quantum simulations with cold atoms is one of the most productive areas in quantum technology, and has provided us with important insight in condensed matter physics [1,2], the physics of disordered systems including the observation of Anderson localization [3,4], low-dimensional systems [5], the use of synthetic fields [6] and dimensions [7], high-energy physics including Higgs modes [8] and black holes [9], topological effects [10], and many more. The main feature of quantum simulators based on cold atoms is the exquisite control that is nowadays possible to achieve on these systems, either by engineering the atomic internal states or by producing potentials to alter the shape, position, temperature, and momentum of the samples [11] This has been largely enabled by the rapid development of laser technology, that provides light with the ideal combination of high spatial and temporal coherence, high intensity, and narrow linewidth. While the coherence of laser light is a key feature for the vast majority of the applications discussed, it could represent a hindrance in the generation of complex patterns using digital micromirror devices (DMDs) In these kinds of systems, the pattern produced on the DMD is imaged on the atoms and interference effects caused by the large temporal coherence can cause aberrations in the image.
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