Cold Atoms Research Articles

Research on the application of inertially stabilized platform in the dynamic measurement of cold atomic gravimeter

Dynamic gravity field measurement based on the cold atom absolute gravity measurement system has important applications in geological exploration, gravity field mapping and other fields. The inertial stabilized platform is the key component of the dynamic cold atom absolute gravity measurement system, which can isolate the interference of carrier angle motion and keep the atomic gravimeter probe in the horizontal attitude during the measurement process. In this paper, according to the dynamic measurement requirements of atomic gravimeter, a high-precision two-axis inertial stabilized platform system is designed. The relationship between attitude angle and gravity measurement error is analyzed, and the stability of the system is enhanced by lead-lag method. Then the static vertical vibration power spectrum of the platform is measured to consider its influence on dynamic gravity measurement. Finally, a dynamic gravity test experiment was conducted in the Yellow Sea to verify the attitude control accuracy of the platform, and the attitude data of the platform under different heading were evaluated. The attitude standard deviation of the platform was better than 4 × 10−5 rad, and the absolute gravity standard deviation of the linear round-trip measurement reached 1.49 mGal. The experimental data show that the inertial stabilized platform can meet the dynamic measurement requirements of the cold atom gravimeter.

Opticheskiy analog vrashchayushchegosya binarnogo boze-kondensata

Coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations for paraxial optics with two circular polarizations of light in a defocusing Kerr medium with anomalous dispersion coincide in form with the Gross–Pitaevskii equations for a binary Bose—Einstein condensate (BEC) of cold atoms in the phase separation regime. In this case, the helical symmetry of an optical waveguide corresponds to rotation of the transverse potential confining the BEC. The “centrifugal force” considerably affects the propagation of a light wave in such a system. Numerical experiments for a waveguide with an elliptical cross section have revealed characteristic structures consisting of quantized vortices and domain walls between two polarizations, which have not been observed earlier in optics.

A vibration correction system for cold atom gravimeter

Cold atom gravimeters are used to measure the absolute value of the gravitational acceleration. To mitigate the influence of seismic noise on the mirror, a vibration correction system is used. A commercial seismometer CMG-3ESPC is employed to measure the mirror vibration. The transfer function between the mirror vibration and the output of the seismometer is regarded as a proportional element with a time delay. The best proportional element and the best time delay are obtained by minimizing the standard deviation of the fitting residuals of the interference fringe with vibration correction. This system not only exhibits excellent environmental adaptability but also eliminates the need for rough estimation of local gravitational acceleration during the vibration correction process. The system was built on the homemade cold atom gravimeter to carry out experiments in the laboratory. Compared with the measurement results without vibration correction, the standard deviation of the gravity measurement results was reduced from Gal to Gal, resulting in a significant reduction by a factor of 28.7. Meanwhile, its sensitivity was significantly improved from 330.8 to 18.0 by performing vibration correction. In the future, this system is expected to carry out comprehensive verification experiments in more complex noisy environments.

Hollow-conical atomic beam from a low-velocity intense source.

We demonstrate, for the first time, a hollow-conical atomic beam from a standard low-velocity intense source. Experimental results and numerical simulations indicate that the hollow-conical feature is caused by the converging-diverging extraction process. The degree of hollowness can be reduced by using a weaker push beam and extending the length of transverse cooling. Analytical models are proposed to quantitatively describe the hollowness of the atomic beam. This study can find applications where a compact and solid atomic beam is needed, such as coupling cold atoms into matter waveguides or continuous cold atomic beam interferometers.

Short-range physics of the three-body recombination for ultracold helium atoms

Short-range physics of the three-body recombination for ultracold helium atoms

Persistent revivals in a system of trapped bosonic atoms

Dynamical signatures of quantum chaos are observed in the survival probability of different initial states, in a system of cold atoms trapped in a linear chain with site noise and open boundary conditions. It is shown that chaos is present in the region of small disorder, at intermediate energies. The study is performed with different number of sites and atoms: 7, 8 and 9, but focusing on the case where the particle density is one. States of the occupation basis with energies in the chaotic region are evolved at long times. Remarkable differences in the behavior of the survival probability are found for states with different energy-eigenbasis participation ratio (PR). Whereas those with large PR clearly exhibit the characteristic random-matrix correlation hole before equilibration, those with small PR present a marginal or even no correlation hole which is replaced by revivals lasting up to the stage of equilibration, suggesting a connection with the quantum scarring phenomenon.

Direct creation of interacting quasi-one-dimensional Bose–Einstein condensate through fast evaporative cooling

Preparation of atomic Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) with tunable interactions in a quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) optical trap is essential for both the observation of bright matter-wave solitons and the quantum simulation based on the discrete atomic momentum states. However, the quasi-1D BEC has been obtained by a complex process, which includes the creation of a three-dimensional BEC and its adiabatic transform into a quasi-1D trap. Here, we report the direct creation of a quasi-1D BEC of 133Cs atoms by the fast evaporative cooling of ultracold atoms prepared by the degenerated Raman sideband cooling. We produce the pure BEC of up to 5.5×104 atoms in a quasi-1D optical trap with an evaporative time of 6 s. We demonstrate the anisotropic expansion of the atomic cloud after the release from the quasi-1D trap and study the dependence of both the phase space density and the temperature on the number of atoms in the trap during the evaporative cooling. Our study facilitates the promising applications of quasi-1D interacting atomic gases.

Emergent symmetry in quantum phase transition: From deconfined quantum critical point to gapless quantum spin liquid

The emergence of exotic quantum phenomena in frustrated magnets is rapidly driving the development of quantum many-body physics, raising fundamental questions on the nature of quantum phase transitions. Here we unveil the behaviour of emergent symmetry involving two extraordinarily representative phenomena, i.e., the deconfined quantum critical point (DQCP) and the quantum spin liquid (QSL) state. Via large-scale tensor network simulations, we study a spatially anisotropic spin-1/2 square-lattice frustrated antiferromagnetic (AFM) model, namely the J1x-J1y-J2 model, which contains anisotropic nearest-neighbor couplings J1x,J1y and the next nearest neighbor coupling J2. For small J1y/J1x, by tuning J2, a direct continuous transition between the AFM and valence bond solid phase is observed. With growing J1y/J1x, a gapless QSL phase gradually emerges between the AFM and VBS phases. We observe an emergent O(4) symmetry along the AFM–VBS transition line, which is consistent with the prediction of DQCP theory. Most surprisingly, we find that such an emergent O(4) symmetry holds for the whole QSL–VBS transition line as well. These findings reveal the intrinsic relationship between the QSL and DQCP from categorical symmetry point of view, and strongly constrain the quantum field theory description of the QSL phase. The phase diagram and critical exponents presented in this paper are of direct relevance to future experiments on frustrated magnets and cold atom systems.

Characterization of magnetic field for loading, trapping and transferring cold atom close to the atom chip’s surface

Atom chips provide flexible technologies for implementing modern concepts in quantum optics, quantum measurement, and quantum information processing. Atom chips are miniature devices that confine, control and manipulate cold atoms using electric, magnetic, and light fields. Due to the shrinkage of scale, arbitrary magnetic traps can be generated from current sources outside the chip’s vacuum compartment, in contrast to a traditional setup. This makes it easy to change trap configurations in an experiment that involves rapid prototyping of quantum states and quantum trajectory designs in free space. In this work, we show relevant parameters needed for transferring a cold atom cloud at the recoil limit from a magneto-optical trap (MOT) to an area close to the atom chip. To create a movable magnetic potential for this transfer, we used the MOT coils and an additional pair of coils in an anti-Helmholtz configuration. The properties of the movable potential were obtained by performing the Computer Simulation Tool (CST EM Studio suite®). Furthermore, an appropriate magnetic trap on a chip is developed, based on the simulation from COMSOL Multiphysics. We used a magnetic field gradient of around 20 G/cm to transport the cold atom with a distance over 20 mm with a temperature gain below 100 micro-Kelvin. The simulation results are based on an atom chip with a size of 2×2 cm2 and a copper wire thickness of 2 mm. The atom chip consists of Z, U and I-shaped wires that generate a quadrupole magnetic field. The resulting field minimum can be made at least 7 mm away from the chip surface.

Laser linewidth measurement using beat-note technique

Lasers play a crucial role in quantum and atomic physics experiments. To prepare atoms in a desired quantum state, these lasers must possess specific properties, including tunability and a narrow spectral linewidth. In this study, we construct and employ an external cavity diode laser to prepare cold rubidium atoms. We control the laser’s stability using an electronic system and evaluate its performance by measuring the spectral linewidth through the beat signal technique. The measurement indicates a linewidth narrower than 1 MHz, which makes the laser suitable for subsequent experiments. Finally, we adjust the laser frequency to match the rubidium transition frequency between states 5S 1/2, F = 2 ↔ 5P 3/2, F′ = 2, and successfully utilizing the laser to prepare cold rubidium atoms in a magneto-optical trap.

The 5P3/2→6PJ(J=1/2,3/2) Electric Dipole Forbidden Transitions in Rubidium

This paper presents a general review of the results of the experimental and theoretical work carried out by our research group to study the 5P3/2→6PJ electric quadrupole transition in atomic rubidium. The experiments were carried out with room-temperature atoms in an absorption cell. A steady-state population of atoms in the 5P3/2 excited state is produced by a a narrow-bandwidth preparation laser locked to the D2 transition. A second CW laser is used to produce the forbidden transition with resolution of the 6PJ hyperfine states of both rubidium isotopes. The process is detected by recording the 420(422) nm fluorescence that occurs when the atoms in the 6PJ state decay directly into the 5S ground state. The fluorescence spectra show a strong dependence on the relative polarization directions of the preparation laser and the beam producing the forbidden transition. This dependence is directly related to a strong anisotropy in the populations of the 5P3/2 intermediate magnetic substates, and also to the electric quadrupole selection rules over magnetic quantum numbers. A calculation based on the rate equations that includes velocity and detuning dependent transition rates is adequate to reproduce these results. The forbidden transition is also shown to be an ideal probe to measure the Autler–Townes splitting generated in the preparation of the 5P3/2 state. Examples of spectra obtained with cold atoms in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) are also presented. These spectra show the expected Autler–Townes doublet structure with asymmetric line profiles that result as a consequence of the red-detuning of the trapping laser in the MOT.

Heading underground with cold atoms

Heading underground with cold atoms

Disassociation of a one-dimensional cold molecule via quantum scattering

Motivated by the recent experimental developments in ultracold molecules and atoms, we propose a simple theoretical model to address the disassociation, reflection, and transmission probability of a one-dimensional cold molecule via quantum scattering. First, we show the Born approximation results in the weak interaction regime. Then, by employing the Lippmann–Schwinger equation, we give the numerical solution and investigate the disassociation’s dependence on the injection momentum and the interaction strengths. We find that the maximum disassociation rate has a limit when increasing the interaction strengths and injection momentum. We expect that our model can be realized in experiments in the near future.

Gain Assisted Raman Induced Classical and Quantum Talbot Imaging

Abstract2D Raman generated classical and quantum Talbot imaging is proposed in a three‐level gain assisted system. First, a 2D Raman induced grating (RIG) will be constructed by modulating transmission function in the weak probe channel using a strong control standing wave field. Furthermore, RIG will diffract a probe field, by shining a probing light beam on an optically generated lattice within a rubidium vapor cell. This study uses gain assisted Raman medium [Nature 406, 277 (2000)] to examine classical and quantum Talbot imaging. In the case of Raman‐induced classical imaging, the diffraction pattern repeats itself at planes with integer multiple Talbot lengths. Additionally, by taking into account entangled photon pairs, the scenario of Raman‐induced quantum imaging is investigated. This study also looks at the RIG's amplitude and phase information with adjustable image size variation. As a result of the gain feature and zero absorption, this system is anticipated to be more suitable from the perspective of application. This analysis may pave the way for further research into the Talbot effect's nonlinear and quantum dynamical properties. Also, it provide a non‐destructive, lensless method for imaging very cold atoms or molecules.

Analytical results for a spin–orbit coupled atom held in a non-Hermitian double well under synchronous combined modulations

We propose a simple method of synchronous combined modulations to generate the exact analytic solutions for a spin–orbit (SO) coupled ultracold atom held in a non-Hermitian double-well potential. Based on the obtained analytical solutions, we mainly study the parity-time () symmetry of this system and the system stability for both balanced and unbalanced gain–loss between two wells. Under balanced gain and loss, the effect of the proportional constants between synchronous combined modulations and the SO-coupling strength on the -symmetry breaking is revealed analytically. Surprisingly, we find when the Zeeman field is present, the stable spin-flipping tunneling between two wells cannot occur in the non-Hermitian SO-coupled ultracold atomic system, but the stable spin-conserving tunneling can be performed. Under unbalanced gain and loss, the unique set of parameter conditions that can cause the system to stabilize is found. The results may provide a possibility for the exact control of -symmetry breaking and quantum spin dynamics in a non-Hermitian SO-coupled system.

Observation of frustrated chiral dynamics in an interacting triangular flux ladder

Quantum matter interacting with gauge fields, an outstanding paradigm in modern physics, underlies the description of various physical systems. Engineering artificial gauge fields in ultracold atoms offers a highly controllable access to the exotic many-body phenomena in these systems, and has stimulated intense interest. Here we implement a triangular flux ladder in the momentum space of ultracold 133Cs atoms, and study the chiral dynamics under tunable interactions. Through measurements of the site-resolved density evolutions, we reveal how the competition between interaction and flux in the frustrated triangular geometry gives rise to flux-dependent localization and biased chiral dynamics. For the latter in particular, the symmetry between the two legs is dynamically broken, which can be attributed to frustration. We then characterize typical dynamic patterns using complementary observables. Our work opens the avenue toward exploring correlated transport in frustrated geometries, where the interplay between interactions and gauge fields plays a key role.

Optimal binary gratings for multi-wavelength magneto-optical traps.

Grating magneto-optical traps are an enabling quantum technology for portable metrological devices with ultracold atoms. However, beam diffraction efficiency and angle are affected by wavelength, creating a single-optic design challenge for laser cooling in two stages at two distinct wavelengths - as commonly used for loading, e.g., Sr or Yb atoms into optical lattice or tweezer clocks. Here, we optically characterize a wide variety of binary gratings at different wavelengths to find a simple empirical fit to experimental grating diffraction efficiency data in terms of dimensionless etch depth and period for various duty cycles. The model avoids complex 3D light-grating surface calculations, yet still yields results accurate to a few percent across a broad range of parameters. Gratings optimized for two (or more) wavelengths can now be designed in an informed manner suitable for a wide class of atomic species enabling advanced quantum technologies.

Superfluidity nature of interacting rotating ultracold boson atoms trapped in an optical potential that overlaps with a harmonic potential

This paper explores the superfluidity nature of the rotating ultracold boson atoms trapped in an overlapping optical potential with harmonic potential in three dimensions at finite temperature. The number of vortices, the critical rate of rotation for the formation of vortices, and the superfluid fraction have all been determined. These parameters required to calculate thermal average of the in situ size and the angular momentum expectation values. Calculations of the mentioned parameters are made using the proper semiclassical approximation. For upcoming BEC experiments in these traps, the outcome results provide useful qualitative theoretical insights. Additionally, they give the current experiment by Greiner et al. (2002) a strong theoretical basis.

Observation of flat-band localized state in a one-dimensional diamond momentum lattice of ultracold atoms

We investigated the one-dimensional diamond ladder in the momentum lattice platform. By inducing multiple two- and four-photon Bragg scatterings among specific momentum states, we achieved a flat band system based on the diamond model, precisely controlling the coupling strength and phase between individual lattice sites. Utilizing two lattice sites couplings, we generated a compact localized state associated with the flat band, which remained localized throughout the entire time evolution. We successfully realized the continuous shift of flat bands by adjusting the corresponding nearest neighbor hopping strength, enabling us to observe the complete localization process. This opens avenues for further exploration of more complex properties within flat-band systems, including investigating the robustness of flat-band localized states in disordered flat-band systems and exploring many-body localization in interacting flat-band systems.

Magnetic field regression using artificial neural networks for cold atom experiments

Accurately measuring magnetic fields is essential for magnetic-field sensitive experiments in areas like atomic, molecular, and optical physics, condensed matter experiments, and other areas. However, since many experiments are often conducted in an isolated environment that is inaccessible to experimentalists, it can be challenging to accurately determine the magnetic field at the target location. Here, we propose an efficient method for detecting magnetic fields with the assistance of an artificial neural network (NN). Instead of measuring the magnetic field directly at the desired location, we detect fields at several surrounding positions, and a trained NN can accurately predict the magnetic field at the target location. After training, we achieve a below 0.3% relative prediction error of magnetic field magnitude at the center of the vacuum chamber, and successfully apply this method to our erbium quantum gas apparatus for accurate calibration of magnetic field and long-term monitoring of environmental stray magnetic field. The demonstrated approach significantly simplifies the process of determining magnetic fields in isolated environments and can be applied to various research fields across a wide range of magnetic field magnitudes.