Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1210.0114

Capture of atoms and small particles in an optical trap formed by sequences of counter-propagating light pulses with a large area

V. I. Romanenko, Леонід Петрович Яценко

Published Sep 29, 2012• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

A new trap for atoms and small particles based on the interaction between an atom and the field of counter-propagating light pulses that are partially superposed in time has been proposed. A substantial difference from the known analogs consists in that the atom-field interaction is close to the adiabatic one, which allows a considerably higher momentum to be transferred to the atom within the same time interval and makes the trap smaller in size. It has been shown that, owing to the dependence of the light pressure force on the atom velocity, the atomic ensemble is cooled at its interaction with the field.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.1210.0114

Related papers

Momentum Diffusion of Atoms and Nanoparticles in an Optical Trap Formed by Sequences of Counter-Propagating Light Pulses

V. I. Romanenko, A.V. Romanenko, Ye. G. Udovitskaya +1 more

The motion of atoms and nanoparticles in a trap formed by sequences of counter-propagating light pulses has been analyzed. The atomic state is described by a wave function constructed with the use of the Monte Carlo method, whereas the atomic motion is considered in the framework of classical mechanics. The effects of the momentum diffusion associated with the spontaneous radiation emission by excited atoms and the pulsed character of the atom-to-field interaction on the motion of a trapped atom or nanoparticle are estimated. The motion of a trapped atom is shown to be slowed down for properly chosen parameters of the atom-to-field interaction, so that the atom oscillates around the antinodes of a non-stationary standing wave formed by counter-propagating light pulses at the point where they “collide”.

arXiv:1305.5033•Ukrainian Journal of Physics•May 1, 2013•5 citations

An Optical Trap for Atoms on the Basis of Counter-Propagating Bichromatic Light Waves

V. I. Romanenko, A. V. Romanenko, Леонід Петрович Яценко

It has been shown that the field of counter-propagating bichromatic light waves can form a one-dimension trap for atoms. The confinement of an ensemble of atoms in the trap and their simultaneous cooling to a temperature close to the Doppler cooling limit can be achieved without using auxiliary fields, by properly choosing the detuning of monochromatic components from the atomic transition frequency. The specific numerical simulation is carried out for sodium atoms. A possible application of such a trap for the confinement and the cooling of molecules with an almost diagonal array of Franck–Condon factors is discussed.

Ukrainian Journal of Physics•Apr 25, 2016•7 citations

Laser control of atomic and molecular motion by sequences of counterpropagating light pulses

V. I. Romanenko, Alexander V. Romanenko, Yelena G. Udovitskaya +1 more

The analysis of atomic motion in the field formed by sequences of counterpropagating light pulses reveals the conditions when the field creates the trap in which the temperature of trapped atoms drops to the Doppler limit. The atomic state is described by the wave function using the Monte Carlo wave function method, whereas the atomic motion is considered in the framework of classical mechanics. Laser cooling and trapping is achieved only for non-resonant atom–field interaction. The pulse area does not matter for this effect, in contrast to the repetition period. When the motion of a trapped atom is slowed down, it oscillates around the anti-nodes of a non-stationary standing wave formed by the counterpropagating light pulses at the point where they ‘collide’. The discussed trap is also applicable for trapping and cooling of the molecules for which the matrix of Frank–Condon factors is almost diagonal.

Journal of Modern Optics•Jan 10, 2014•4 citations

Cooling and trapping of atoms and molecules by counterpropagating pulse trains

V. I. Romanenko, Ye. G. Udovitskaya, A. V. Romanenko +1 more

We discuss a possible one-dimensional trapping and cooling of atoms and molecules due to their nonresonant interaction with counterpropagating light pulse trains. The counterpropagating pulses form a one-dimensional trap for atoms and molecules and a properly chosen carrier frequency detuning from the transition frequency of the atoms or molecules keeps the temperature of the atomic or molecular ensemble close to the Doppler cooling limit. The calculation by the Monte Carlo wave-function method is carried out for the two-level and three-level schemes of the atom's and the molecule's interaction with the field, respectively. The models discussed are applicable to atoms and molecules with almost diagonal Frank-Condon factor arrays. Illustrative calculations are carried out for ensemble-averaged characteristics for sodium atoms and SrF molecules in the trap. The potential for the nanoparticle light pulses's trap formed by counterpropagating light pulse trains is also discussed.

arXiv:1408.5074•Physical Review A•Nov 19, 2014•15 citations

Trapping and cooling of atoms

C. J. Pethick, H. Smith

The advent of the laser opened the way to the development of powerful new methods for manipulating and cooling atoms which were exploited in the realization of Bose–Einstein condensation in alkali atom vapours. To set the stage we describe a typical experiment, which is shown schematically in Fig. 4.1. A beam of sodium atoms emerges from an oven at a temperature of about 600 K, corresponding to a speed of about 800 m s –1 , and is then passed through a so-called Zeeman slower, in which the velocity of the atoms is reduced to about 30 m s –1 , corresponding to a temperature of about 1 K. In the Zeeman slower, a laser beam propagates in the direction opposite that of the atomic beam, and the radiation force produced by absorption of photons retards the atoms. Due to the Doppler effect, the frequency of the atomic transition in the laboratory frame is not generally constant, since the atomic velocity varies. However, by applying an inhomogeneous magnetic field designed so that the Doppler and Zeeman effects cancel, the frequency of the transition in the rest frame of the atom may be held fixed. On emerging from the Zeeman slower the atoms are slow enough to be captured by a magneto-optical trap (MOT), where they are further cooled by interactions with laser light to temperatures of order 100 μK. Another way of compensating for the changing Doppler shift is to increase the laser frequency in time, which is referred to as ‘chirping’. In other experiments the MOT is filled by transferring atoms from a second MOT where atoms are captured directly from the vapour.

Cambridge University Press eBooks•Nov 29, 2001•0 citations

New possibilities for producing photon echoes from a homogeneous ensemble of atoms and with the use of a single light pulse

G. N. Nikolaev

In investigations of predicted new types of photon echoes — an echo from a homogeneous ensemble of atoms and an echo of a single light pulse — have established that the magnitude and form of these new types of photon echoes are completely determined by the type of optical transition and by the “area” and polarization of the exciting light pulses (and the form can be controlled by varying the magnetic field). It is also established that the echo amplitude decreases for both small (compared to 1) and large light-pulse areas, and the optimal areas for which the maximum echo is obtained have been found. Investigations show that such photon echoes can also appear under conditions when an ordinary photon echo is absent (in atomic or molecular gases at high pressure, in the far-IR region of the spectrum, from cooled trapped atoms or ions, and so on).

Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics Letters•May 1, 1997•0 citations
A new trap for atoms and small particles based on the interaction between an atom and the field of counter-propagating light pulses that are partially superposed in time has been proposed. A substantial difference from the known analogs consists in that the atom-field interaction is close to the adiabatic one, which allows a considerably higher momentum to be transferred to the atom within the same time interval and makes the trap smaller in size. It has been shown that, owing to the dependence of the light pressure force on the atom velocity, the atomic ensemble is cooled at its interaction with the field.
The motion of atoms and nanoparticles in a trap formed by sequences of counter-propagating light pulses has been analyzed. The atomic state is described by a wave function constructed with the use of the Monte Carlo method, whereas the atomic motion is considered in the framework of classical mechanics. The effects of the momentum diffusion associated with the spontaneous radiation emission by excited atoms and the pulsed character of the atom-to-field interaction on the motion of a trapped atom or nanoparticle are estimated. The motion of a trapped atom is shown to be slowed down for properly chosen parameters of the atom-to-field interaction, so that the atom oscillates around the antinodes of a non-stationary standing wave formed by counter-propagating light pulses at the point where they “collide”.
It has been shown that the field of counter-propagating bichromatic light waves can form a one-dimension trap for atoms. The confinement of an ensemble of atoms in the trap and their simultaneous cooling to a temperature close to the Doppler cooling limit can be achieved without using auxiliary fields, by properly choosing the detuning of monochromatic components from the atomic transition frequency. The specific numerical simulation is carried out for sodium atoms. A possible application of such a trap for the confinement and the cooling of molecules with an almost diagonal array of Franck–Condon factors is discussed.
The analysis of atomic motion in the field formed by sequences of counterpropagating light pulses reveals the conditions when the field creates the trap in which the temperature of trapped atoms drops to the Doppler limit. The atomic state is described by the wave function using the Monte Carlo wave function method, whereas the atomic motion is considered in the framework of classical mechanics. Laser cooling and trapping is achieved only for non-resonant atom–field interaction. The pulse area does not matter for this effect, in contrast to the repetition period. When the motion of a trapped atom is slowed down, it oscillates around the anti-nodes of a non-stationary standing wave formed by the counterpropagating light pulses at the point where they ‘collide’. The discussed trap is also applicable for trapping and cooling of the molecules for which the matrix of Frank–Condon factors is almost diagonal.
We discuss a possible one-dimensional trapping and cooling of atoms and molecules due to their nonresonant interaction with counterpropagating light pulse trains. The counterpropagating pulses form a one-dimensional trap for atoms and molecules and a properly chosen carrier frequency detuning from the transition frequency of the atoms or molecules keeps the temperature of the atomic or molecular ensemble close to the Doppler cooling limit. The calculation by the Monte Carlo wave-function method is carried out for the two-level and three-level schemes of the atom's and the molecule's interaction with the field, respectively. The models discussed are applicable to atoms and molecules with almost diagonal Frank-Condon factor arrays. Illustrative calculations are carried out for ensemble-averaged characteristics for sodium atoms and SrF molecules in the trap. The potential for the nanoparticle light pulses's trap formed by counterpropagating light pulse trains is also discussed.
The advent of the laser opened the way to the development of powerful new methods for manipulating and cooling atoms which were exploited in the realization of Bose–Einstein condensation in alkali atom vapours. To set the stage we describe a typical experiment, which is shown schematically in Fig. 4.1. A beam of sodium atoms emerges from an oven at a temperature of about 600 K, corresponding to a speed of about 800 m s –1 , and is then passed through a so-called Zeeman slower, in which the velocity of the atoms is reduced to about 30 m s –1 , corresponding to a temperature of about 1 K. In the Zeeman slower, a laser beam propagates in the direction opposite that of the atomic beam, and the radiation force produced by absorption of photons retards the atoms. Due to the Doppler effect, the frequency of the atomic transition in the laboratory frame is not generally constant, since the atomic velocity varies. However, by applying an inhomogeneous magnetic field designed so that the Doppler and Zeeman effects cancel, the frequency of the transition in the rest frame of the atom may be held fixed. On emerging from the Zeeman slower the atoms are slow enough to be captured by a magneto-optical trap (MOT), where they are further cooled by interactions with laser light to temperatures of order 100 μK. Another way of compensating for the changing Doppler shift is to increase the laser frequency in time, which is referred to as ‘chirping’. In other experiments the MOT is filled by transferring atoms from a second MOT where atoms are captured directly from the vapour.
In investigations of predicted new types of photon echoes — an echo from a homogeneous ensemble of atoms and an echo of a single light pulse — have established that the magnitude and form of these new types of photon echoes are completely determined by the type of optical transition and by the “area” and polarization of the exciting light pulses (and the form can be controlled by varying the magnetic field). It is also established that the echo amplitude decreases for both small (compared to 1) and large light-pulse areas, and the optimal areas for which the maximum echo is obtained have been found. Investigations show that such photon echoes can also appear under conditions when an ordinary photon echo is absent (in atomic or molecular gases at high pressure, in the far-IR region of the spectrum, from cooled trapped atoms or ions, and so on).