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Physical Review A

Imaging of an atomic beam with electrostatic lenses

Heung‐Ryoul Noh, Kazuko Shimizu, Fujio Shimizu

Published Feb 28, 2000• 27 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The imaging of a neutral atomic beam by electrostatic force has been demonstrated. An ultracold neon atomic beam in the ${1s}_{3}[{(2p)}^{5}{3s:}^{1}{P}_{0}]$ state illuminated a transparent object, passed through a set of three electrostatic lenses, and formed the image on a microchannel plate detector with the magnification of unity. Each lens consisted of two parallel cylinders that functioned as a concave lens along one axis and as a convex lens along the other axis. The atomic polarizability of neon in the ${1s}_{3}$ state has been also determined to be $2.8(\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.1)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}39} {\mathrm{Fm}}^{2}.$

DOI
10.1103/physreva.61.041601

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The imaging of a neutral atomic beam by electrostatic force has been demonstrated. An ultracold neon atomic beam in the 1s3[(2p)53s:1P0]{1s}_{3}[{(2p)}^{5}{3s:}^{1}{P}_{0}]1s3​[(2p)53s:1P0​] state illuminated a transparent object, passed through a set of three electrostatic lenses, and formed the image on a microchannel plate detector with the magnification of unity. Each lens consisted of two parallel cylinders that functioned as a concave lens along one axis and as a convex lens along the other axis. The atomic polarizability of neon in the 1s3{1s}_{3}1s3​ state has been also determined to be 2.8(\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi0.1)\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi10\ensuremath−39Fm2.2.8(\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.1)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}39} {\mathrm{Fm}}^{2}.2.8(\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi0.1)\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi10\ensuremath−39Fm2.
In the field of atom optics, there has been much interests in developing components such as lenses, mirrors, beam splitters and waveguides to manipulate neutral atoms. Especially many clever methods to focus neutral atoms have been developed. The lenses have been constructed using the static electrical and magnetic fields, Fresnel zone plates, and radiation pressure forces. Before the laser cooling and trapping techniques were invented, the electrostatic fields could not be used for manipulating neutral atoms because of its weak interaction energy with atoms. After the cold atoms were available, it has been possible to manipulate atoms with weak electrostatic interaction energy. We developed an atom lens system using electrostatic fields.
We report on progress towards a neutral atom imaging device that will be used for chemically sensitive surface microscopy and nanofabrication. Our novel technique for improving refractive power and correcting chromatic aberration in atom lenses is based on a fundamental paradigm shift from continuous-beam focusing to a pulsed, three-dimensional approach. Simulations of this system suggest that it will pave the way toward the long-sought goal of true atom imaging on the nanoscale. Using a prototype lens with a supersonic beam of metastable neon, we have imaged complex patterns with lower distortion and higher resolution than has been shown in any previous experiment. Comparison with simulations corroborates the underlying theory and encourages further refinement of the process.
Electric-field-controlled holography for atoms is demonstrated. Platinum electrodes are deposited among the array of parallel slits that are made on a silicon nitride film. A cold neon atomic beam in the 1s3[2p5(2Po1/2)3s : J = 0] metastable state is sent through the film and form a Fraunhofer diffraction pattern on a microchannel plate detector that is placed in the downstream of the film. By controlling the potential of each electrode an arbitrary one-dimensional diffraction pattern of atoms has been generated.PACS No. 78.90
We have developed a method to image a beam of neutral atoms (chiefly usable for alkalis) that is essentially an extension to two dimensions of the usual hot wire method of detection. The beam of neutral atoms first passes through a a highly transparent, positively charged grid and then impinges on a heated grid of electroformed nickel with lower transparency and at ground potential. Atoms with ionization potential less than the work function of Ni that strike the heated grid are ionized at its surface and are then pushed through it by the 250-V/cm field produced by the voltage on the first grid. The ions are then accelerated through ~700 V to a pair of multichannel plates (MCPs) ~3 mm away where the single charged ion signal is amplified. The output electrons from the MCPs are accelerated by 1.7 kV to a phosphor screen ~3 mm away that glows when the electrons strike it. The phosphor screen is viewed by a TV camera whose output goes to a frame processor in a PC. The system has been used for studying transverse laser cooling (optical collimation) of a Rb beam done with diode lasers.
The most efficient method for controlling the motion of material particles in experimental physics is the use of interaction potentials with electromagnetic fields. The static magnetic and electric interaction potentials are used in the optics of charged particles. In the optics of neutral atoms, the various interaction potentials of atoms with laser and electromagnetic fields are used in addition to the static fields. The effective methods of diffraction, interference, mirror reflection of atoms are implemented in atom optics. The most difficult problem in atom optics is the problem of high-resolution focusing of neutral atoms, which is promising for the nondestructive method for probing the surface at the atomic level, as well as for the creation of nanostructures on the surface. Although there are many proposals for focusing of atomic beams, this problem is experimentally unsolved. The main difficulty is the creation of the interaction potential of the atom with the electromagnetic field that is close to an ideal lens for atoms.In this paper, we experimentally implement another approach to the problem of focusing and construction of an image in atom optics, which is based on a well known idea of optical pinhole camera. The pinhole camera in optics is a camera without lens. Light forming an image passes through a small hole. In our experiment with the atom pinhole camera the Cr atomic beam passes through a set of holes in a metal mask and thereby forms, by analogy with optics, a glowing object of a given geometry. The atoms pass through the holes in the mask, propagate in vacuum along rectilinear trajectories, similar to light rays, and are incident on a thin film (thickness 5 mum) placed at a distance of 90 mm from the mask with a large number (n =107-108/cm2) of nanoholes (50 nm diameter). Each hole of the film is a pinhole camera for atoms, which forms its individual image of the object on the substrate surface placed at a distance of l = 5mum behind the film.
The intensity correlation spectrum of an ultracold 20Ne{}^{20}\mathrm{Ne}20Ne atomic beam in the 1s3[3s:1P0]{1s}_{3}[{3s:}^{1}{P}_{0}]1s3​[3s:1P0​] state is experimentally studied. The spectrum shows a peak around the origin with the width corresponding to the kinetic energy spread of atoms in the beam source.