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

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics

Gravito-optical atom trap based on a conical hollow beam

Yu. B. Ovchinnikov, Inka B. Manek-Hönninger, A.I. Sidorov, Gabriela Wa̧sik, Rudolf Grimm

Published Nov 27, 2002• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Summary form only given.We have realized a novel all-optical trap, which uses a conical blue-detuned hollow laser beam in combination with gravity to confine and compress an ensemble of Cs atoms released from a magneto-optical trap (MOT). In a very simple optical setup, two axicons are used in a telescope-like arrangement to transform a Gaussian laser beam into a tubular beam, which is then focused with a spherical lens to generate the conical beam with an opening angle of 150 mrad.

DOI
10.1109/iqec.1998.680493

Related papers

Gravito-optical atom trap based on a conical hollow beam

Yu. B. Ovchinnikov, Inka B. Manek-Hönninger, A. I. Sidorov +2 more

We demonstrate a novel optical dipole-force trap, which uses an intense blue-detuned conical hollow laser beam together with gravity to confine an ensemble of cesium atoms in a dark spatial region. Efficient cooling is provided by a 3D optical molasses in combination with inelastic reflections from the trapping field. The particular advantages of the trap are its experimental simplicity, the high loading efficiency, and a strong suppression of losses caused by ultracold collisions.

Europhysics Letters (EPL)•Sep 1, 1998•31 citations

A Novel Gravito-Optical Surface Trap for Neutral Atoms

Xie Chun-Xia, Wang Zhengling, Yin Jian-Ping

We propose a novel gravito-optical surface trap (GOST) for neutral atoms based on one-dimensional intensity gradient cooling. The surface optical trap is composed of a blue-detuned reduced semi-Gaussian laser beam (SGB), a far-blue-detuned dark hollow beam and the gravity field. The SGB is produced by the diffraction of a collimated Gaussian laser beam passing through the straight edge of a semi-infinite opaque plate and then is reduced by an imaging lens. We calculate the intensity distribution of the reduced SGB, and study the dynamic process of the SGB intensity-gradient induced Sisyphus cooling for 87 Rb atoms by using Monte Carlo simulations. Our study shows that the proposed GOST can be used not only to trap cold atoms loaded from a standard magneto-optical trap, but also to cool the trapped atoms to an equilibrium temperature of 3.47 μK from ~120 μK, even to realize an all-optical two-dimensional Bose–Einstein condensation by using optical-potential evaporative cooling.

Chinese Physics Letters•Mar 30, 2006•4 citations

Dark-hollow-beam cooling of atoms in a gravito-optical trap

Jianping Yin, Yifu Zhu, Yuzhu Wang +1 more

Summary form only given.We present a novel gravito-optical trap (GOT) consisting of a dark hollow-divergent laser beam (DHB) either from a collimated and focused doughnut beam or from the output beam of the LP/sub 01/ mode in a hollow optical fiber. The cold atoms are loaded into the DHB from a magneto-optical trap (MOT). As the atoms bounce in the DHB, they experience Sisyphus cooling and geometrical cooling induced by the blue detuned DHB and a very weak repumping beam propagating downward into the DHB. The coupling of the three-level atom and the DHB forms dressed states.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics•Nov 27, 2002•0 citations

Novel dipole-force atom traps

Inka B. Manek-Hönninger, U. Moslener, Yu. B. Ovchinnikov +5 more

We discuss our recent experimental demonstrations of three novel atom traps which are all based on the optical dipole force in far-detuned laser light. In the gravito-optical surface trap (GOST), Cs atoms are trapped and cooled by means of an evanescent-wave mirror very closely above a dielectric surface. This trap allows for optical cooling at very high densities and provides good starting conditions for evaporative cooling to quantum degeneracy and the realization of a 2D quantum gas. The conical atom trap (CAT) uses a hollow blue-detuned laser beam in combination with gravity to trap atoms in a dark spatial region. This trap is experimentally simple and provides high loading efficiency, tight confinement, efficient sub-Doppler cooling, and strong suppression of collisional losses. The standing-wave red-detuned (STAR) trap allows one to confine atoms in a shallow optical potential at a very low photon scattering rate, and is thus an interesting tool for studies of the atomic ground-state dynamics in external electro-magnetic fields. We have studied atomic spin polarization in this trap.

International Conference on Atomic Physics (ICAP)•Jan 1, 1999•0 citations

Possibility of an Optically-Trapped Bose-Einstein Condensation

Jianping Yin, Yifu Zhu, Yuzhu Wang

We propose a novel gravito-optical atom trap composed of a blue-detuned, conical dark-hollow-beam propagating upward and the gravity field. When cold atoms are loaded into the conical dark-hollow-beam from a magnetic-optical trap and bounce inside the hollow beam, they experience an efficient hollow-beam induced Sisyphus cooling and repumping-beam induced geometric cooling. Our investigation shows that an ultracold and dense 87 Rb atomic sample with an equilibrium 3D temperature of about 1 μK can be obtained and the appearance of an optically-trapped Bose-Einstein condensation may be possible in this pure optical trap.

Chinese Physics Letters•May 1, 1999•3 citations

Pyramidal-hollow-beam dipole trap for alkali atoms

Yin Jian-Ping, Gao Wei-jian, Wang Yu-Zhu +2 more

We propose a dark gravito-optical dipole trap, for alkali atoms, consisting of a blue-detuned, pyramidal-hollow laser beam propagating upward and the gravity field. When cold atoms from a magneto-optical trap are loaded into the pyramidal-hollow beam and bounce inside the pyramidal-hollow beam, they experience efficient Sisyphus cooling and geometric cooling induced by the pyramidal-hollow beam and the weak repumping beam propagating downward. Our study shows that an ultracold and dense atomic sample with an equilibrium 3D momentum of � 3 ¯ and an atomic density above the point of Bose-Einstein condensation may be obtained in this pure optical trap. PACC: 3280P; 3380P; 4250

Chinese Physics•May 1, 2000•2 citations
Summary form only given.We have realized a novel all-optical trap, which uses a conical blue-detuned hollow laser beam in combination with gravity to confine and compress an ensemble of Cs atoms released from a magneto-optical trap (MOT). In a very simple optical setup, two axicons are used in a telescope-like arrangement to transform a Gaussian laser beam into a tubular beam, which is then focused with a spherical lens to generate the conical beam with an opening angle of 150 mrad.
We propose a novel gravito-optical surface trap (GOST) for neutral atoms based on one-dimensional intensity gradient cooling. The surface optical trap is composed of a blue-detuned reduced semi-Gaussian laser beam (SGB), a far-blue-detuned dark hollow beam and the gravity field. The SGB is produced by the diffraction of a collimated Gaussian laser beam passing through the straight edge of a semi-infinite opaque plate and then is reduced by an imaging lens. We calculate the intensity distribution of the reduced SGB, and study the dynamic process of the SGB intensity-gradient induced Sisyphus cooling for 87 Rb atoms by using Monte Carlo simulations. Our study shows that the proposed GOST can be used not only to trap cold atoms loaded from a standard magneto-optical trap, but also to cool the trapped atoms to an equilibrium temperature of 3.47 μK from ~120 μK, even to realize an all-optical two-dimensional Bose–Einstein condensation by using optical-potential evaporative cooling.
Summary form only given.We present a novel gravito-optical trap (GOT) consisting of a dark hollow-divergent laser beam (DHB) either from a collimated and focused doughnut beam or from the output beam of the LP/sub 01/ mode in a hollow optical fiber. The cold atoms are loaded into the DHB from a magneto-optical trap (MOT). As the atoms bounce in the DHB, they experience Sisyphus cooling and geometrical cooling induced by the blue detuned DHB and a very weak repumping beam propagating downward into the DHB. The coupling of the three-level atom and the DHB forms dressed states.
We discuss our recent experimental demonstrations of three novel atom traps which are all based on the optical dipole force in far-detuned laser light. In the gravito-optical surface trap (GOST), Cs atoms are trapped and cooled by means of an evanescent-wave mirror very closely above a dielectric surface. This trap allows for optical cooling at very high densities and provides good starting conditions for evaporative cooling to quantum degeneracy and the realization of a 2D quantum gas. The conical atom trap (CAT) uses a hollow blue-detuned laser beam in combination with gravity to trap atoms in a dark spatial region. This trap is experimentally simple and provides high loading efficiency, tight confinement, efficient sub-Doppler cooling, and strong suppression of collisional losses. The standing-wave red-detuned (STAR) trap allows one to confine atoms in a shallow optical potential at a very low photon scattering rate, and is thus an interesting tool for studies of the atomic ground-state dynamics in external electro-magnetic fields. We have studied atomic spin polarization in this trap.
We propose a novel gravito-optical atom trap composed of a blue-detuned, conical dark-hollow-beam propagating upward and the gravity field. When cold atoms are loaded into the conical dark-hollow-beam from a magnetic-optical trap and bounce inside the hollow beam, they experience an efficient hollow-beam induced Sisyphus cooling and repumping-beam induced geometric cooling. Our investigation shows that an ultracold and dense 87 Rb atomic sample with an equilibrium 3D temperature of about 1 μK can be obtained and the appearance of an optically-trapped Bose-Einstein condensation may be possible in this pure optical trap.
We propose a dark gravito-optical dipole trap, for alkali atoms, consisting of a blue-detuned, pyramidal-hollow laser beam propagating upward and the gravity field. When cold atoms from a magneto-optical trap are loaded into the pyramidal-hollow beam and bounce inside the pyramidal-hollow beam, they experience efficient Sisyphus cooling and geometric cooling induced by the pyramidal-hollow beam and the weak repumping beam propagating downward. Our study shows that an ultracold and dense atomic sample with an equilibrium 3D momentum of � 3 ¯ and an atomic density above the point of Bose-Einstein condensation may be obtained in this pure optical trap. PACC: 3280P; 3380P; 4250