Abstract
We consider the two-color photooassociation of a quantum degenerate atomic gas into ground-state diatomic molecules via a molecular dark state. This process can be described in terms of a lambda level scheme that is formally analogous to the situation in electromagnetically-induced transparency (EIT) in atomic systems, and therefore can result in slow light propagation. We show that the group velocity of the light field depends explicitly on whether the atoms are bosons or fermions, as well as on the existence or absence of a pairing gap in the case of fermions, so that the measurement of the group velocity realizes a non-destructive diagnosis of the atomic state and the pairing gap.
Highlights
Degenerate atomic Fermi gases have attracted much interest in recent years, well past the confines of traditional atomic, molecular and optical (AMO) physics [1]
We consider the two-color photooassociation of a quantum degenerate atomic gas into groundstate diatomic molecules via a molecular dark state. This process can be described in terms of a lambda level scheme that is formally analogous to the situation in electromagnetically-induced transparency (EIT) in atomic systems, and can result in slow light propagation
The main result of the present analysis is that a related situation occurs when considering the dark-state propagation of a photoassociating light field: in contrast to the case where photoassociation originates from a condensate of bosonic atoms, and where the inverse group velocity vg−1 of the light field is known to scale as N 2, we find that for a normal Fermi gas at T = 0 it scales as N
Summary
Degenerate atomic Fermi gases have attracted much interest in recent years, well past the confines of traditional atomic, molecular and optical (AMO) physics [1]. In this paper we show that the slow light propagation associated with the existence of that dark state provides a relatively simple nondestructive probe of Fermi pairing, without the need for additional excitations (atomto-atom, atom-ion-to-molecule, or molecule-to-molecule) or for laser imaging of the populations of transferred particles. This proposed method finds its motivation in a previous work [16] which showed that the statistical properties of the molecular field formed from ultracold atoms depends strongly on the statistical properties of these atoms.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
