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arXiv:1403.3545 · New Journal of Physics

Optomechanical atom-cavity interaction in the sub-recoil regime

Hans Keßler, Jens Klinder, Matthias Wolke, Andreas Hemmerich

Published May 6, 2014• 36 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We study the optomechanical interaction of a Bose–Einstein condensate with a single longitudinal mode of an ultra-high finesse standing wave optical resonator. As a unique feature the resonator combines three extreme regimes, previously not realized together, i.e., strong cooperative coupling, cavity dominated scattering with a Purcell factor far above unity, and sub-recoil resolution provided by a cavity damping rate smaller than four times the single photon recoil frequency. We present experimental observations in good agreement with a two-mode model predicting highly nonlinear dynamics with signatures as bistability, hysteresis, persistent oscillations, and superradiant back-scattering instabilities.

DOI
10.1088/1367-2630/16/5/053008

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Conventional laser cooling relies on repeated electronic excitations by near-resonant light, which constrains its area of application to a selected number of atomic species prepared at moderate particle densities. Optical cavities with sufficiently large Purcell factors allow for laser cooling schemes, avoiding these limitations. Here, we report on an atom-cavity system, combining a Purcell factor above 40 with a cavity bandwidth below the recoil frequency associated with the kinetic energy transfer in a single photon scattering event. This lets us access a yet-unexplored regime of atom-cavity interactions, in which the atomic motion can be manipulated by targeted dissipation with sub-recoil resolution. We demonstrate cavity-induced heating of a Bose-Einstein condensate and subsequent cooling at particle densities and temperatures incompatible with conventional laser cooling.
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