Matter-wave Superradiance Research Articles

Giant nonlocal Kerr nonlinearity and polaritonic solitons in a Rydberg-dressed Bose-Einstein condensate.

We present a scheme to generate nonlocal optical Kerr nonlinearity and polaritonic solitons via matter-wave superradiance in a Rydberg-dressed Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). We show that the polariton spectrum of the scattered field generated by the superradiance is changed significantly due to the existence of the long-range Rydberg-Rydberg interaction between atoms, i.e. it has a roton-maxon form; moreover, the BEC structure factor displays a strong dependence on the Rydberg-dressing, which can be tuned in a controllable way. We also show that such a Rydberg-dressed BEC system can support a giant nonlocal optical Kerr nonlinearity, and hence allow the formation and stable propagation of polaritonic solitons, which have ultraslow propagation velocity and ultralow generation power. The results reported here are useful to understand the unique properties of Rydberg-dressing in BECs and have potential applications in optical information processing and transmission.

Probing and characterizing the growth of a crystal of ultracold bosons and light

The non-linear coupled particle light dynamics of an ultracold gas in the field of two independent counter-propagating laser beams can lead to the dynamical formation of a self-ordered lattice structure as presented in (2016) Phys. Rev. X 6 021026. Here we present new numerical studies on experimentally observable signatures to monitor the growth and properties of such a crystal in real time. While, at least theoretically, optimal non-destructive observation of the growth dynamics and the hallmarks of the crystalline phase can be performed by analyzing scattered light, monitoring the evolution of the particle’s momentum distribution via time-of-flight probing is an experimentally more accessible choice. In this work we show that both approaches allow us to unambiguously distinguish the crystal from independent collective scattering as it occurs in matter wave super-radiance. As a clear crystallization signature, we identify spatial locking between the two emerging standing laser waves, together creating the crystal potential. For sufficiently large systems, the system allows reversible adiabatic ramping into the crystalline phase as an alternative to a quench across the phase transition and growth from fluctuations.

Controllable vacuum-induced diffraction of matter-wave superradiance using an all-optical dispersive cavity.

Cavity quantum electrodynamics (CQED) has played a central role in demonstrating the fundamental principles of the quantum world, and in particular those of atom-light interactions. Developing fast, dynamical and non-mechanical control over a CQED system is particularly desirable for controlling atomic dynamics and building future quantum networks at high speed. However conventional mirrors do not allow for such flexible and fast controls over their coupling to intracavity atoms mediated by photons. Here we theoretically investigate a novel all-optical CQED system composed of a binary Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) sandwiched by two atomic ensembles. The highly tunable atomic dispersion of the CQED system enables the medium to act as a versatile, all-optically controlled atomic mirror that can be employed to manipulate the vacuum-induced diffraction of matter-wave superradiance. Our study illustrates a innovative all-optical element of atomtroics and sheds new light on controlling light-matter interactions.

Asymmetric superradiant scattering and abnormal mode amplification induced by atomic density distortion

The superradiant Rayleigh scattering using a pump laser incident along the short axis of a Bose-Einstein condensate with a density distortion is studied, where the distortion is formed by shocking the condensate utilizing the residual magnetic force after the switching-off of the trapping potential. We find that very small variation of the atomic density distribution would induce remarkable asymmetrically populated scattering modes by the matter-wave superradiance with long time pulse. The optical field in the diluter region of the atomic cloud is more greatly amplified, which is not an ordinary mode amplification with the previous cognition. Our numerical simulations with the density envelop distortion are consistent with the experimental results. This supplies a useful method to reflect the geometric symmetries of the atomic density profile by the superradiance scattering.

Control of matter-wave superradiance with a high-finesse ring cavity

We experimentally investigate light scattering from a Bose-Einstein condensate which is positioned inside an optical ring cavity. With a cavity linewidth at the recoil limit, the resulting superradiant scattering behavior is strongly influenced by the cavity detuning. The experimental observations are interpreted with a quantum mean-field description and with a rate-equation model. We discuss applications in the context of quantum phase transitions, Dicke subradiance, and nonconventional superfluidity.

Role of Mie scattering in the seeding of matter-wave superradiance

Matter-wave superradiance is based on the interplay between ultracold atoms coherently organized in momentum space and a backscattered wave. Here, we show that this mechanism may be triggered by Mie scattering from the atomic cloud. We show how the laser light populates the modes of the cloud and thus imprints a phase gradient on the excited atomic dipoles. The interference with the atoms in the ground state results in a grating that in turn generates coherent emission, contributing to the backward light wave onset. The atomic recoil ``halos'' created by the Mie-scattered light exhibit a strong anisotropy, in contrast to single-atom scattering.

Observation of a Red-Blue Detuning Asymmetry in Matter-Wave Superradiance

We report the first experimental observation of strong suppression of matter-wave superradiance using blue-detuned pump light and demonstrate a pump-laser detuning asymmetry in the collective atomic recoil motion. In contrast to all previous theoretical frameworks, which predict that the process should be symmetric with respect to the sign of the detuning of the pump laser from the one-photon resonance, we find that for condensates the symmetry is broken. With high condensate densities and red-detuned pump light the distinctive multiorder, matter-wave scattering pattern is clearly visible, whereas with blue-detuned pump light superradiance is strongly suppressed. However, in the limit of a dilute atomic gas symmetry is restored.

Collective atomic recoil motion in short-pulse matter-wave superradiance

We show that a Bragg resonance is substantially incapacitated in short-pulse, matter-wave superradiant scatterings and both positive- and negative-order scatterings contribute equally. We further show that propagation gain is small and scattering events primarily occur at the ends of the condensate where the generated field has maximum strength. This explains the apparent ``asymmetry'' in the scattered components with respect to the condensate center. In contrast to long-pulse excitation, we prove that the generated field travels near the speed of light in vacuum and show that this has a significant impact on scattering. Finally, we show that when the excitation rate increases, the front-edge steepening and forward shifting of the peak of the generated field are due to depletion of the condensate.

Electromagnetic Wave Dynamics in Matter-Wave Superradiant Scattering

We present a small-signal wave propagation theory on matter-wave superradiant scattering. We show, in a longitudinally excited condensate, that the backward-propagating, superradiantly generated optical field propagates with ultraslow group velocity and that the small-signal gain profile has a Bragg resonance. We further show a unidirectional suppression of optical superradiant scattering, and explain why matter-wave superradiance can occur only when the pump laser is red detuned. This is the first analytical theory on field propagation in matter-wave superradiance that can explain all matter-wave superradiance experiments to date that used a single-frequency, long-pulse, red-detuned laser.

Matter-Wave Emission in Optical Lattices: Single Particle and Collective Effects

We introduce a simple setup corresponding to the matter-wave analogue of impurity atoms embedded in a photonic crystal and interacting with the radiation field. Atoms in a given internal level are trapped in an optical lattice, and play the role of the impurities. Atoms in an untrapped level play the role of the radiation field. The interaction is mediated by means of lasers that couple those levels. By tuning the lasers parameters, it is possible to drive the system through different regimes, and observe phenomena such as matter-wave superradiance, non-Markovian atom emission, and the appearance of bound atomic states.