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Physical Review A

Experimental investigation of the limit of Sisyphus cooling

Johan Jersblad, Harald Ellmann, Anders Kastberg

Published Oct 11, 2000• 16 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We present measurements of the steady-state temperature in a three-dimensional cesium optical lattice, operating in the near-resonance regime of the $D2$ line. For various detunings between the ${(F}_{g}=\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{4}{F}_{e}=5)$ and the ${(F}_{g}=\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{4}{F}_{e}=4)$ transitions, we systematically determine at which intensities/optical potential modulation depths the Sisyphus cooling process breaks down and what the lowest achievable temperatures are. We find that the minimum temperature decreases as we increase the detuning with respect to the ${(F}_{g}=\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{4}{F}_{e}=5)$ transition.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.62.051401

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We present measurements of the steady-state temperature in a three-dimensional cesium optical lattice, operating in the near-resonance regime of the D2D2D2 line. For various detunings between the (Fg=4\ensuremath→Fe=5){(F}_{g}=\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{4}{F}_{e}=5)(Fg​=4\ensuremath→​Fe​=5) and the (Fg=4\ensuremath→Fe=4){(F}_{g}=\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{4}{F}_{e}=4)(Fg​=4\ensuremath→​Fe​=4) transitions, we systematically determine at which intensities/optical potential modulation depths the Sisyphus cooling process breaks down and what the lowest achievable temperatures are. We find that the minimum temperature decreases as we increase the detuning with respect to the (Fg=4\ensuremath→Fe=5){(F}_{g}=\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{4}{F}_{e}=5)(Fg​=4\ensuremath→​Fe​=5) transition.
A complete laser cooling setup was built, with focus on threedimensional near-resonant optical lattices for cesium. These consist of regularly ordered micropotentials, created by the interference of four laser beams. One key feature of optical lattices is an inherent ”Sisyphus cooling” process. It efficiently extracts kinetic energy from the atoms, leading to equilibrium temperatures of a few µK. The corresponding kinetic energy is lower than the depth of the potential wells, so that atoms can be trapped. We performed detailed studies of the cooling processes in optical lattices by using the time-of-flight and absorption-imaging techniques. We investigated the dependence of the equilibrium temperature on the optical lattice parameters, such as detuning, optical potential and lattice geometry. The presence of neighbouring transitions in the cesium hyperfine level structure was used to break symmetries in order to identify, which role “red” and “blue” transitions play in the cooling. We also examined the limits for the cooling process in optical lattices, and the possible difference in steady-state velocity distributions for different directions. Moreover, in collaboration with ´Ecole Normale Sup´erieure in Paris, numerical simulations were performed in order to get more insight in the cooling dynamics of optical lattices. Optical lattices can keep atoms almost perfectly isolated from the environment and have therefore been suggested as a platform for a host of possible experiments aimed at coherent quantum manipulations, such as spin-squeezing and the implementation of quantum logic-gates. We developed a novel way to trap two different cesium ground states in two distinct, interpenetrating optical lattices, and to change the distance between sites of one lattice relative to sites of the other lattice. This is a first step towards the implementation of quantum simulation schemes in optical lattices.
A complete laser cooling setup was built, with focus on threedimensional near-resonant optical lattices for cesium. These consist of regularly ordered micropotentials, created by the interference of four laser beams. One key feature of optical lattices is an inherent ”Sisyphus cooling” process. It efficiently extracts kinetic energy from the atoms, leading to equilibrium temperatures of a few µK. The corresponding kinetic energy is lower than the depth of the potential wells, so that atoms can be trapped.We performed detailed studies of the cooling processes in optical lattices by using the time-of-flight and absorption-imaging techniques. We investigated the dependence of the equilibrium temperature on the optical lattice parameters, such as detuning, optical potential and lattice geometry. The presence of neighbouring transitions in the cesium hyperfine level structure was used to break symmetries in order to identify, which role “red” and “blue” transitions play in the cooling. We also examined the limits for the cooling process in optical lattices, and the possible difference in steady-state velocity distributions for different directions. Moreover, in collaboration with ´Ecole Normale Sup´erieure in Paris, numerical simulations were performed in order to get more insight in the cooling dynamics of optical lattices.Optical lattices can keep atoms almost perfectly isolated from the environment and have therefore been suggested as a platform for a host of possible experiments aimed at coherent quantum manipulations, such as spin-squeezing and the implementation of quantum logic-gates. We developed a novel way to trap two different cesium ground states in two distinct, interpenetrating optical lattices, and to change the distance between sites of one lattice relative to sites of the other lattice. This is a first step towards the implementation of quantum simulation schemes in optical lattices.
Summary form only given. We have performed a detailed study of the steady-state temperature and other parameters in a three-dimensional optical lattice for a wide range of detunings. Specifically we have investigated the situation with the detuned blue light of a J-J transition, and configurations where several allowed transitions may influence the results. We load a chirp cooled Cs-beam into a magneto-optical trap, cool the atoms in an optical molasses and load them into a four-beam three-dimensional optical lattice. The lattice beams are detuned below the transition between the states 6s/sup 2/S/sub 1/2/, F=4 and 6p/sup 2/P/sub 3/2/, F' =5, at 852 nm. The detuning is varied from -5/spl Gamma/ (where /spl Gamma//2/spl pi/=5.22 MHz is the natural linewidth of the transition) all the way to the F=4/spl rarr/F'=4 transition, located -48.3/spl Gamma/ away. For each detuning we let the atoms equilibrate in the lattice, and measure the steady-state temperature by a time of flight technique.
We report the observation of three-dimensional cooling of cesium atoms using a four-beam optical molasses tuned to the blue side of the Fg{\mathit{F}}_{\mathit{g}}Fg​=3\ensuremath{\rightarrow}Fe{\mathit{F}}_{\mathit{e}}Fe​=2 hyperfine component of the 6S1/2{\mathit{S}}_{1/2}S1/2​\ensuremath{\rightarrow}6P3/2{\mathit{P}}_{3/2}P3/2​ transition. The cooling mechanism is a Sisyphus effect involving atomic states that are nearly uncoupled from the light field. Starting from a magneto-optical trap at 70 \ensuremath{\mu}K, the cooling time was on the order of 1 ms with almost 100% capture efficiency and temperature smaller than 5 \ensuremath{\mu}K measured. We also present a probe transmission spectrum showing that almost all the atoms are found in the nearly dark states.
We have studied the behavior of cesium atoms cooled in six-beam "gray" optical molasses. Cooling occurs for a laser detuned to the blue side of the 6S126{S}_{\frac{1}{2}}6S21​​, $F=3\ensuremath{\rightarrow}6{P}_{\frac{3}{2}}$, ${F}^{\ensuremath{'}}=2$ transition, and a Sisyphus-type effect accumulates the atoms in states not coupled to the light. We measure a minimum temperature of 1.1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.1 \ensuremath{\mu}K at low atomic density. The typical cooling time is on the order of 1 ms. A linear dependence of the temperature versus atomic density is found with a slope of \ensuremath{\sim}0.6 \ensuremath{\mu}K/(1010{10}^{10}1010 atoms/cm3{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}cm3).