Cold Rb Atoms Research Articles

Note: Investigation of atom transfer using a red-detuned push beam in a double magneto-optical trap setup

We present our results on transfer of cold (87)Rb atoms from a vapor cell magneto-optical trap to ultrahigh vacuum magneto-optical trap (UHV-MOT) using a red-detuned continuous wave push beam in a double-magneto-optical trap setup. We find that use of retro-reflected red-detuned push laser beam results in higher number in UHV-MOT than the number obtained without retro-reflection of push beam.

A cold 87Rb atomic beam

We demonstrate an experimental setup for the production of a beam source of cold 87Rb atoms. The atoms are extracted from a trapped cold atomic cloud in an unbalanced three-dimensional magneto—optical trap. Via a radiation pressure difference generated by a specially designed leak tunnel along one trapping laser beam, the atoms are pushed out continuously with low velocities and a high flux. The most-probable velocity in the beam is varied from 9 m/s to 19 m/s by varying the detuning of the trapping laser beams in the magneto—optical trap and the flux can be tuned up to 4×109 s−1 by increasing the intensity of the trapping beams. We also present a simple model for describing the dependence of the beam performance on the magneto—optical trap trapping laser intensity and the detuning.

Measurement of sub-natural linewidth AC Stark shifts in cold atoms: An experiment for an advanced undergraduate laboratory

We measure sub-MHz AC Stark shifts, also known as light shifts, in an undergraduate laboratory setting using Raman pump-probe spectroscopy to observe sub-natural linewidth spectral features in the transmission spectrum of a weak probe beam passing through a sample of cold 85Rb atoms confined in a magneto-optical trap. To make this observation a pair of inexpensive fast photodiodes and acousto-optic modulators is needed, in addition to equipment commonly found in advanced undergraduate optics labs with laser cooling and atom trapping setups. A theoretical description of light shifts accessible to junior and senior-level physics majors is provided.

Broadband cavity electromagnetically induced transparency

Cavity electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) is created in a three-level atomic system confined in a cavity and coupled to a free-space control laser and is manifested as a narrow transmission peak of a probe laser coupled into the cavity mode and tuned to the two-photon Raman resonance with the control laser. Cavity EIT can be observed with a control laser detuned from the atomic transition frequency in a range limited by the vacuum Rabi splitting of two cavity-atom normal modes. This leads to the broadband cavity EIT obtained in the coupled-cavity-atom system with a free-space, broadband control laser. We report an experimental observation of broadband cavity EIT in cold Rb atoms with a frequency-modulated control laser and discuss its application in multichannel and multifrequency light memory.

Atom funnel running with evanescent light generated by a thick hollow light beam

The use of a hollow light beam reduces the loss of atoms inside and outside an evanescent-light funnel. Therefore, we superimpose an LG 01 beam with a small hole onto a doughnut beam with a large outer diameter and couple the resultant hollow light beam to the 240-μm-wide outlet of an inverted trigonal-pyramidal funnel. Compared to the case where a Gaussian light beam is employed for generation of evanescent light, the flux intensity of the output cold 87Rb atoms rises 13-fold when the inner diameter of the 4.5-mm wide hollow light beam is 1.7 times as large as the size of the outlet under optimal blue-detuning conditions.

Kinetic behavior of cold 87Rb atoms in integrating sphere

Kinetic behavior of cold 87Rb atoms in integrating sphere is presented under adiabatic release. Decay time of cold atom cloud is deduced by calculation of residual cold atom number evolution under adiabatic release and agrees well with our experimental observation. Number evolutions of residual cold atoms under different kinds of acceleration have been studied in detail. Sequence laser pulse cooling is key technique for the successive operation of cold atom clock. The process of laser pulse cooling is numerically simulated and fitted with experiments, optimized distribution of cooling and dead time to get enough cold atoms is put forward to satisfy the demand of cold atom clock.

A Zeeman slower design with permanent magnets in a Halbach configuration

We describe a simple Zeeman slower design using permanent magnets. Contrary to common wire-wound setups, no electric power and water cooling are required. In addition, the whole system can be assembled and disassembled at will. The magnetic field is however transverse to the atomic motion and an extra repumper laser is necessary. A Halbach configuration of the magnets produces a high quality magnetic field and no further adjustment is needed. After optimization of the laser parameters, the apparatus produces an intense beam of slow and cold (87)Rb atoms. With typical fluxes of (1-5) × 10(10) atoms/s at 30 m s(-1), our apparatus efficiently loads a large magneto-optical trap with more than 10(10) atoms in 1 s, which is an ideal starting point for degenerate quantum gas experiments.

Light self-trapping in a large cloud of cold atoms

We show that, for a near-resonant propagating beam, a large cloud of cold Rb87 atoms acts as a saturable Kerr medium and produces self-trapping of light. By side fluorescence imaging, we monitor the transverse size of the beam and, depending on the sign of the laser detuning with respect to the atomic transition, we observe self-focusing or self-defocusing, with the waist remaining stationary for an appropriate choice of parameters. We analyze our observations by using numerical simulations based on a simple two-level atom model.

Coherent Population Trapping-Ramsey Interference in Cold Atoms

We demonstrate an experimental observation of coherent population trapping-Ramsey interference in cold 87Rb atoms by employing the time-domain separated oscillatory fields' method. The interference fringe with line width of 80Hz is obtained. We propose a novel method to measure the cold atom number. The measurement is insensitive to the pump beam intensity, the single photon detuning and even the initial state population. We use this method to normalize the interference signal and to improve the signal-to-noise ratio significantly.

Four-wave mixing in a three-level bichromatic electromagnetically induced transparency system

We investigate the four-wave mixing (FWM) phenomenon in a three-level bichromatic electromagnetically induced transparency system. Theoretical results predict that the FWM will exhibit a multipeak structure under bichromatic coupling fields. The stronger the coupling fields are, the more FWM the peaks should exhibit. Results of an experiment carried out with cold (87)Rb atoms in a magneto-optical trap agree with the theoretical prediction.

Spectrum of Two-Level Systems with Discrete Frequency Fluctuations

We study, theoretically and experimentally, an ensemble of two-level systems coupled to an environment which induces random jumps in their resonant frequency. We present a closed-form formula for the spectrum in terms of the resonant frequency distribution and the Poisson rate constant. For a normal distribution the spectrum deviates from a generalized Gumbel function, a well-known result for continuous stochastic Gaussian processes. We perform experiments with optically trapped cold 87Rb atoms and show that the predictions of our theory for a 3D harmonic trap match the measured spectra without fitting parameters.

A controllable double-well optical trap for cold atoms (or molecules) using a binary π-phase plate: experimental demonstration and Monte Carlo simulation

We experimentally demonstrate a practical scheme to form a controllable double-well optical dipole trap for cold atoms (or cold molecules), and give some experimental results as well as the fabrication method of a binary π-phase plate. The dependence of the double-well characteristics on the phase etching error of the π-phase plate and the evolution of the double-well optical trap from two wells to a single one are studied both theoretically and experimentally, and the experimental results are consistent with the theoretical prediction. Furthermore, the dynamic process of loading and splitting of cold 87Rb atoms from a standard magneto-optical trap (MOT) into our controllable double-well one are studied by Monte Carlo simulations. Our study shows that the loading efficiency of cold atoms from the standard MOT into our single-well trap can reach 100%, and the relative atomic density will be reduced from 1.0 to ∼0.5 during the evolution of our double-well trap, in which the temperature of cold atoms is reduced from 20 μK to ∼15 μK. In final, some potential applications of our controllable double-well optical trap in atom and molecule optics are briefly discussed.

Electromagnetically induced transparency in cold 85Rb atoms trapped in the ground hyperfine F = 2 state

We report electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in cold 85Rb atoms, trapped in the lower hyperfine level F = 2, of the ground state 52S1/2 (Tiwari V B et al 2008 Phys. Rev. A 78 063421). Two steady-state Λ-type systems of hyperfine energy levels are investigated using probe transitions into the levels F′ = 2 and F′ = 3 of the excited state 52P3/2 in the presence of coupling transitions F = 3 → F′ = 2 and F = 3 → F′ = 3, respectively. The effects of uncoupled magnetic sublevel transitions and coupling field's Rabi frequency on the EIT signal from these systems are studied using a simple theoretical model.

Manipulating atomic coherence and interference in a coupled atom-cavity system

Collective coupling of multiple atoms with a cavity mode produces two normal modes that are separated in energy by Vacuum Rabi splitting. We show that quantum coherence and interference can be produced by a control laser that couples the atoms confined in the cavity mode from free space, which leads to suppression of the normal mode excitation, or polariton excitation of the cavity-atom system. The control laser splits the normal mode of the cavity-atoms system and opens two excitation channels. The destructive quantum interference between the two channels renders the cavity-atoms system opaque to the light coupled into the cavity mode. We demonstrate suppression of the normal mode (polariton) excitation by the destructive quantum interference in an experiment with cold Rb atoms confined in an optical cavity.

Transference of Cold85Rb Atoms from a Mirror MOT to an U-MOT on an External Atom Chip

Transference of Cold85Rb Atoms from a Mirror MOT to an U-MOT on an External Atom Chip

White-light cavity based on coherent Raman scattering via normal modes of a coupled cavity-and-atom system

We describe a white-light cavity scheme based on a cavity quantum electrodynamics system that consists of multiple three-level atoms confined in an optical cavity and coherently driven by a free-space, circularly polarized field. A linearly polarized field is coupled into the cavity mode and its two circular components induce coherent Raman transitions through the normal modes of the coupled atom-cavity system. One circular component of the cavity field experiences anomalous dispersion which enables broadband light transmission through the cavity. We present the experimental demonstration of the broadband light transmission through an optical cavity coupled to cold Rb atoms.

Experimental Properties of Optical Phase Conjugation in Cold Atoms in a Magneto-Optical Trap

We employ a sample of cold 87Rb atoms in a magneto-optical trap to study the impulse responses and spatial characters of backward conjugate waves in a four-wave mixing process. We measure the slow and superluminal group velocities of backward conjugate waves, and find the sensitive variation of the spatial mode of backward waves with the probe-pump detuning and the dependence of the reflectance on the magnetic field, while the trapping magnetic field exists.

Atomic coherence and interference in a coupled atom–cavity system

When a coherently prepared atomic medium is confined in an optical cavity, the atomic coherence and interference manifested by electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) can be manipulated and enhanced by the collective atom–cavity coupling and the cavity feedback. We present an experimental study of the light transmission through an optical cavity coupled with coherently prepared cold Rb atoms. In the frequency domain, the cavity transmission spectrum exhibits spectral peaks representing the cavity normal modes associated with the multi-atom vacuum Rabi splitting and the intra-cavity dark state manifested by the combined EIT effects of the absorption suppression and the steep normal dispersion. In the time domain, a light pulse coupled into the cavity mode propagates with a slow group velocity and the propagation time delay is significantly increased by the cavity feedback.

Microfabricated evanescent-light funnel with high-intensity cold atom flux

We process a silicon-on-insulator substrate into a funnel with a 25-μm-side square-shaped outlet by photolithography and anisotropic chemical etching. The funnel is utilized to form a cold atomic beam by means of reflection and cooling on repulsive evanescent light. Monte Carlo simulations show that the flux intensity of emitted cold Rb atoms reaches 10 12 cm −2 s −1. The mean horizontal velocity is estimated to be below 10 cm/s, while the mean vertical velocity decreases in proportion to the outlet side. The evanescent-light funnel can be developed to concentrate 80% of Rb atoms falling from a standard magneto-optical trap.

Resonant interaction of femtosecond radiation with a cloud of cold 87Rb atoms

The resonant interaction of 87Rb atoms in a magneto-optical trap with femtosecond laser radiation in the spectral range 760–820 nm has been investigated experimentally. It has been demonstrated that femtosecond laser radiation with a spectral width of 10 nm interacts with an atomic ensemble as a set of spectrally narrow modes and as an ionizing laser field simultaneously. The dynamics of trap loading in the presence of ionization by femtosecond radiation has been studied, and the 5D5/2 level population produced by an additional weak laser field has been measured.