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arXiv:1707.02896 · Physical Review A

Quantum versus classical dynamics in the optical centrifuge

Tsafrir Armon, L. Frièdland

Published Sep 18, 2017• 15 citations
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Abstract

The interplay between classical and quantum-mechanical evolution in the optical centrifuge (OC) is discussed. The analysis is based on the quantum-mechanical formalism starting from either the ground state or a thermal ensemble. Two resonant mechanisms are identified, i.e., the classical autoresonance and the quantum-mechanical ladder climbing, yielding different dynamics and rotational excitation efficiencies. The rotating-wave approximation is used to analyze the two resonant regimes in the associated dimensionless two-parameter space and calculate the OC excitation efficiency. The results show good agreement between numerical simulations and theory and are relevant to existing experimental setups.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.96.033411

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Publisher's Note: Quantum versus classical dynamics in the optical centrifuge [Phys. Rev. A 96 , 033411 (2017)]

Tsafrir Armon, L. Frièdland

Received 12 February 2018DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.97.029903©2018 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasAtomic & molecular processes in external fieldsCoherent controlAtomic, Molecular & Optical

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The interplay between classical and quantum-mechanical evolution in the optical centrifuge (OC) is discussed. The analysis is based on the quantum-mechanical formalism starting from either the ground state or a thermal ensemble. Two resonant mechanisms are identified, i.e., the classical autoresonance and the quantum-mechanical ladder climbing, yielding different dynamics and rotational excitation efficiencies. The rotating-wave approximation is used to analyze the two resonant regimes in the associated dimensionless two-parameter space and calculate the OC excitation efficiency. The results show good agreement between numerical simulations and theory and are relevant to existing experimental setups.
The interplay between quantum-mechanical and classical evolutions in a chirped-driven Rydberg atom is discussed. It is shown that the system allows two continuing resonant excitation mechanisms, i.e., a successive two-level transitions (ladder climbing) and a continuing classicallike nonlinear phase locking (autoresonance). The persistent 1:1 and 2:1 resonances between the driving and the Keplerian frequencies are studied in detail and characterized in terms of two dimensionless parameters P1,2{P}_{1,2}P1,2​ representing the driving strength and the nonlinearity in the problem, respectively. The quantum-mechanical rotating wave and the classical single-resonance approximations are used to describe the regimes of efficient classical or quantum-mechanical excitation in this two-parameter space.
We investigate theoretically the ability of an optical centrifuge - a laser pulse whose linear polarization is rotating at an accelerated rate, to control molecular rotation in the regime when the rigid-rotor approximation breaks down due to coupling between the vibrational and rotational degrees of freedom. Our analysis demonstrates that the centrifuge field enables controlled excitation of high rotational states while maintaining relatively low spread along the vibrational coordinate. We contrast this to the rotational excitation by a linearly polarized Gaussian pulse of equal spectral width and pulse energy which, although comparable to the centrifuge-induced rotation, is unavoidably accompanied by a substantial broadening of the vibrational wavepacket.
In a thermal ensemble of atoms driven by coherent fields, how does evolution of quantum superposition compete with classical dynamics of optical pumping and atomic diffusion? Is it optical pumping that first prepares a thermal ensemble, with coherent superposition developing subsequently or is it the other way round: coherently superposed atoms driven to steady state via optical pumping? Using a stroboscopic probing technique, here we experimentally explore these questions. A 100 ns pulse is used to probe an experimentally simulated, closed three-level, Λ-like configuration in rubidium atoms, driven by strong coherent ( control ) and incoherent fields. Temporal evolution of probe transmission shows an initial overshoot with turn-on of control , resulting in a scenario akin to lasing without inversion. The corresponding rise time is dictated by coherent dynamics, with a distinct experimental signature of half-cycle Rabi flop in a thermal ensemble of atoms. Our results indicate that, in fact, optical pumping drives the atoms to a steady state in a significantly longer time-scale that sustains superposed dark states . Eventual control turn-off leads to a sudden fall in transmission with an ubiquitous signature for identifying closed and open systems. Numerical simulations and toy-model predictions confirm our claims. These studies reveal new insights into a rich and complex dynamics associated with atoms in thermal ensemble, which are otherwise absent in state-prepared, cold atomic ensembles.
Controlling the state of a Bose-Einstein condensate driven by a chirped frequency perturbation in a one-dimensional anharmonic trapping potential is discussed. By identifying four characteristic time scales in this chirped-driven problem, three dimensionless parameters P_{1,2,3} are defined describing the driving strength, the anharmonicity of the trapping potential, and the strength of the particles interaction, respectively. As the driving frequency passes the linear resonance in the problem, and depending on the location in the P_{1,2,3} parameter space, the system may exhibit two very different evolutions, i.e., the quantum energy ladder climbing (LC) and the classical autoresonance (AR). These regimes are analyzed both in theory and simulations with the emphasis on the effect of the interaction parameter P_{3}. In particular, the transition thresholds on the driving parameter P_{1} and their width in P_{1} in both the AR and LC regimes are discussed. Different driving protocols are also illustrated, showing efficient control of excitation and deexcitation of the condensate.
Efficient population transfer by adiabatically chirping through a multiphoton resonance in microwave driven and kicked Rydberg atoms has recently been reported both experimentally and theoretically. Here we report on our simulations in which we have exploited this mechanism to vibrationally excite a diatomic molecule up to |ν = 4, J from the ground state by chirping through a four-photon resonance condition. This is an efficient means of population transfer, which is an alternative to the ladder climbing scheme requiring chirping through a sequence of states in the correct order. We discuss and compare one-dimensional quantum and classical models where there is no rotational degree of freedom. This comparison suggests that for the lowest laser intensity we consider, the process is classically forbidden and the transition occurs through tunnelling. We show that for larger peak intensities, the transfer can be looked upon as a classical transition in phase space, similar to that observed in the atomic case. We extend our simulations to fully three-dimensional quantum calculations and investigate the effect of coupling between different rotational pathways. We finally discuss the effect of thermal averaging over the initial J-states using a temperature for which the first few rotational levels inside the ν = 0 manifold are populated.