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arXiv:1002.0212 · Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics

Ion detection in the photoionization of a Rb Bose–Einstein condensate

Matthieu Viteau, J Radogostowicz, Amodsen Chotia, Mark G. Bason, Nicola Malossi, F. Fuso, D Ciampini, O. Morsch, I. I. Ryabtsev, E. Arimondo

Published Jul 13, 2010• 22 citations
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Abstract

Two-photon ionization of Rubidium atoms in a magneto-optical trap and a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) is experimentally investigated. Using 100 ns laser pulses, we detect single ions photoionized from the condenstate with a 35(10)% efficiency. The measurements are performed using a quartz cell with external electrodes, allowing large optical access for BECs and optical lattices.

DOI
10.1088/0953-4075/43/15/155301

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Photoionization of a cold atomic sample offers intriguing possibilities for observing collective effects at extremely low temperatures. Irradiation of a rubidium condensate and of cold rubidium atoms within a magneto-optical trap (MOT) with laser pulses ionizing through one-photon and two-photon absorption processes was performed. Losses and modifications in the density profile of the remaining trapped cold cloud or the remaining condensate sample were examined as functions of the ionizing laser parameters. Ionization cross sections were measured for atoms in a MOT, while in magnetic traps losses larger than those expected for ionization process were measured.
We report on photoionization of ultracold magnetically trapped Rb atoms on an atom chip. The atoms are trapped at $5\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{K}$ in a strongly anisotropic trap. Through a hole in the chip with a diameter of $150\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$, two laser beams are focused onto a fraction of the atomic cloud. A first laser beam with a wavelength of 778nm778\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}778nm excites the atoms via a two-photon transition to the 5D5D5D level. With a fiber laser at 1080nm1080\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}1080nm the excited atoms are photoionized. Ionization leads to depletion of the atomic density distribution observed by absorption imaging. The resonant ionization spectrum is reported. The setup used in this experiment is suitable not only to investigate mixtures of Bose-Einstein condensates and ions but also for single-atom detection on an atom chip.
We report a measurement of the ion recoil energy in photoionization of laser-cooled atoms. 87Rb,{}^{87}\mathrm{Rb},87Rb, cooled in a magneto-optical trap, is two-photon ionized by a pulsed laser. The recoil energy is determined by time-of-flight in a weak electric field. A resolution in the range of 1 \ensuremath{\mu}eV is demonstrated. Refinement of the technique promises resolution in the range of several neV to be feasible.
Experimental techniques to produce and observe a Bose-Einstein condensate of rubidium atoms are presented. The atoms are first optically cooled and trapped in an ultra-high vacuum (-10-11 torr) glass cell using a double magneto-optical trap, and then transferred to a “cloverleaf” magnetic trap. Rf-induced evaporation is performed to further cool the magnetically trapped atoms below the phase transition of Bose-Einstein condensation. The velocity distribution (inferred by absorption imaging) of the cooled atomic cloud clearly shows the expected bi-modal structure characteristic of a condensate
The efficient photoionization of a Bose-Einstein condensate requires the creation of ions with the smallest possible transfer of atoms from the condensate into the thermal phase. The spontaneous decay from excited states into atomic states with momentum different from the initial one should be reduced. We investigate theoretically the two-photon ionization of a rubidium condensate using near resonant excitation to the 6P state and second photon at 421 nm or 1002 nm into the continuum. Different ionization schemes with coherent control of the first excitation and reduction of the spontaneous decay are presented.
We have performed two-photon excitation via the 6 2 P 3/2 state to the n = 50–80 S or D Rydberg state in Bose–Einstein condensates of rubidium atoms. The Rydberg excitation was performed in a quartz cell, where electric fields generated by plates external to the cell created electric charges on the cell walls. Avoiding accumulation of the charges and realizing good control over the applied electric field was achieved when the fields were applied for only a short time, typically a few microseconds. Rydberg excitations of the Bose–Einstein condensates loaded into quasi-one-dimensional traps and in optical lattices have been investigated. The results for condensates expanded to different sizes in the one-dimensional trap agree well with the intuitive picture of a chain of Rydberg excitations controlled by the dipole–dipole interaction. The optical lattice applied along the one-dimensional geometry produces localized, collective Rydberg excitations controlled by the nearest-neighbour blockade.