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AIP conference proceedings

Colder and Better: Some New Developments in Laser Cooling, Trapping and Manipulation of Atoms

William D. Phillips, D. J. Wineland, Carl Wieman, Stuart James Smith

Published Jan 1, 1994• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

This paper is a short summary of a presentation given at the Fourteenth International Conference on Atomic Physics in Boulder CO, August 1994. It describes several recent advances in the field of laser cooling, trapping and manipulation of neutral atoms: adiabatic transfer of linear momentum from light to atoms; trapping and cooling atoms in optical lattices; evaporative cooling of alkali atoms held in magnetic traps; cyclic cooling of atoms in a magnetic trap; and optical shielding of laser‐cooled and trapped atoms from collisions with other cold atoms. Some of the work described was done in my own laboratory at NIST in Gaithersburg, and some in other laboratories. I have tried to choose topics complementary to those treated by other speakers at the conference. This paper is intended more as a guide to the literature on the subjects treated than a complete treatment in itself.

DOI
10.1063/1.2946007

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This paper is a short summary of a presentation given at the Fourteenth International Conference on Atomic Physics in Boulder CO, August 1994. It describes several recent advances in the field of laser cooling, trapping and manipulation of neutral atoms: adiabatic transfer of linear momentum from light to atoms; trapping and cooling atoms in optical lattices; evaporative cooling of alkali atoms held in magnetic traps; cyclic cooling of atoms in a magnetic trap; and optical shielding of laser‐cooled and trapped atoms from collisions with other cold atoms. Some of the work described was done in my own laboratory at NIST in Gaithersburg, and some in other laboratories. I have tried to choose topics complementary to those treated by other speakers at the conference. This paper is intended more as a guide to the literature on the subjects treated than a complete treatment in itself.
The ability to cool, manipulate, and trap atoms using laser light has allowed a new, fast developing field to emerge.The term "laser cooling" describes a variety of methods that use one or more laser light fields to interact with atoms and molecules to cool them down to almost absolute zero.The review paper explores the advancements in laser cooling and magnetic trapping methods, focusing on their applications in achieving ultra-cold temperatures for atoms.It discussed various techniques such as Doppler cooling, optical molasses and evaporative cooling, highlighting their roles in advancing atomic clock accuracy and quantum degeneracy research..The paper emphasizes the importance of these methods in achieving temperatures in the nano-kelvin range without cryogenic methods, marking a significant leap in atomic manipulation and study.
In recent years, there has been significant interest in the laser manipulation of neutral atoms, and specifically in the use of light fields to manipulate not only the internal but also the external coordinates of an atom. Among the most dramatic results of this work have been the production of dense ultra-cold samples of trapped neutral atoms. These samples have been used to expand the horizons of fundamental physics and have made possible significant advancements in metrology. Furthermore, the ability to manipulate atomic motion with light has helped to create entirely new fields of research such as atom optics where matter wave analogues of light wave systems are investigated and optical where light is used to create a periodic array of atoms similar to crystals.
In 1988, before the beginning of the current contract period, our group discovered that sodium atoms could be laser cooled well below the lower limit (the 'Doppler limit') predicted by the then generally accepted theory. Two main consequences of that discovery were a revamping of the theory of laser cooling and a renewed interest in the applications of laser cooling because of the far lower temperatures. Both of these effects are continuing in full force today, and this report is in large part a record of our group's continuing involvement in the new developments in laser cooling during the past three years. The work of the NIST laser cooling group falls functionally into the categories of: investigating laser cooling mechanisms; studies of collisions between laser cooled atoms; development of new trapping techniques for neutral atoms; study of the fluorescent spectrum of laser cooled atoms; manipulation of atoms and atom optics; development of coherent sources of vacuum ultraviolet light for laser cooling and high resolution spectroscopy; application of laser cooling and trapping technology to atomic frequency standards.
When an atom or a molecule interacts with a light beam, the light emitted or absorbed carries valuable information about the atomic or molecular structure. This phenomenon underlies the whole field of spectroscopy. But the interaction of a photon with an atom can be used to manipulate the atom as well as to probe its structure. For example, in an approach called optical pumping, invented by Alfred Kastler, one can use the resonant exchange of angular momentum between atoms and polarized photons to align or orient the spins of atoms or to put them in nonequilibrium situations. In his original 1950 paper Kastler also proposed using optical pumping to cool and to heat the internal degrees of freedom, calling the phenomena the “effet luminofrigorique” and the “effet luminocalorique.” Another famous example of the use of photon-atom interaction to control atoms is laser cooling. This technique relies on resonant exchange of linear momentum between photons and atoms to control their external degrees of freedom and thus to reduce their kinetic energy. Laser cooling was suggested independently by Theodor Hänsch and Arthur Schawlow for neutral atoms and by David Wineland and Hans Dehmelt for trapped ions. In an article written three years ago for PHYSICS TODAY (June 1987, page 34), Wineland and Wayne Itano presented the principle of laser cooling and the potential applications of cold atoms to fields of physics such as ultrahigh resolution spectroscopy, atomic clocks, collisions, surface physics and collective quantum effects. At that time laser cooling had brought temperatures down to a few hundred microkelvin, but unexpected improvements during the last three years have dramatically lowered those temperatures to only a few microkelvin. We now feel we understand the new physical mechanisms responsible for these very low temperatures.