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Physical Review A

Resonant atomic tunneling through a laser beam

Leon Tribe, Weiping Zhang, Barry C. Sanders

Published Dec 1, 1996• 6 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Atomic band-gap structures are possible by exploiting resonant quantum tunneling of cold atomic beams through a positively detuned laser beam with a multipeaked transverse profile. Spontaneous emission inhibits but does not necessarily eliminate the resonance effects. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
DOI
10.1103/physreva.54.5447

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Atoms can be prepared at low temperatures by laser cooling. The center of mass motion of the cold atoms exhibits wave nature of quantum mechanics. In this paper, we study the quantum tunneling effect of a cold atomic beam propagating through a laser beam which is blue detuned. The blue detuned laser beam is physically equal to a quantum potential barrier. According to two-level model of atom, we systematically analyze the quantum reflection and transmission of the vector atomic matter wave with internal structures propagating through a laser beam. Quantum tunneling time the atomic beam spends in transmitting the laser beam is studied in details. Because of quantum wave nature, cold atoms tunneling through a laser beam can obviously have a completely different feature from that of a classical particle (hot atom).
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The energy spectrum for a system of atoms in a periodic potential can exhibit a gap in the band structure. We describe a system in which a laser is used to produce a mechanical potential for the atoms, and a standing-wave light field is used to shift the atomic levels using the Autler-Townes effect, which produces a periodic potential. The band structure for atoms guided by a hollow optical fiber waveguide is calculated in three dimensions with quantized external motion. The size of the band gap is controlled by the light guided by the fiber. This variable band structure may allow the construction of devices that can cool atoms. The major limitation on this device would be the spontaneous emission losses. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
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We propose a laser arrangement that can allow a multipeaked laser profile with periodicity of the order of the laser wavelength. We analyse the reflection properties of atoms dropped onto this periodical laser. This periodicity produces bands in the reflection spectrum of the atoms. We have studied the case of repulsive and attractive laser potential. In particular we prove the feasibility of constructing an atom mirror with an attractive potential, i.e. a potential without turning points. We include in our calculations the gravitational effects. The spontaneous emission is also analysed as a lossy mechanism, and we have proved that for sufficiently large detuning the bands remain.