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Physical Review A

CO2 -laser optical lattice with cold rubidium atoms

S. Friebel, Cosimo D’Andrea, J. Walz, Martin Weitz, Theodor W. Hänsch

Published Jan 1, 1998• 227 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Laser-cooled rubidium atoms have been trapped in a nondissipative optical lattice with a large lattice constant. The lattice potential is generated by the ac Stark shift in an infrared standing wave near 10.6 $\ensuremath{\mu}$m. The atoms are confined in steep potential wells with a periodicity of several micrometers. By modulating the potential depth we parametrically excite the atoms and measure their vibrational frequencies.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.57.r20

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arXiv:1204.4354•Chinese Physics Letters•Sep 1, 2012•19 citations
Laser-cooled rubidium atoms have been trapped in a nondissipative optical lattice with a large lattice constant. The lattice potential is generated by the ac Stark shift in an infrared standing wave near 10.6 \ensuremathμ\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremathμm. The atoms are confined in steep potential wells with a periodicity of several micrometers. By modulating the potential depth we parametrically excite the atoms and measure their vibrational frequencies.
Summary form only given.We report here the successful trapping of rubidium atoms in the antinodes of a standing wave near 10.6 /spl mu/m. This represents the realization of an optical lattice with usually large lattice period, being approximately seven times that of the excitation wavelength of the lowest electronic resonance. In a later three-dimensional configuration, more than one atom per microscopic trap could be captured at moderate average atomic densities, whereas in conventional optical lattices, only a few percent of the lattice sites are occupied.
Summary form only given. Standing wave laser fields produce a periodic potential for atoms, which can trap cold atoms in an ordered crystal-like structure to form an optical lattice. Optical lattices have been used as model systems in studies of quantum dynamical effects and quantum state control. More recently, it has been suggested that such lattices would provide an attractive system for performing quantum logic experiments, as efficient quantum error correction schemes can be implemented due to the inherent possibility of parallel operation. On the other hand, the possibility to selectively address and manipulate single qubits is essential in the operation of quantum logic systems. This is difficult to achieve in conventional optical lattices, where the spatial period is of order half the wavelength of an optical absorption line. We report on the optical imaging of rubidium atoms trapped in the antinodes of an extremely far detuned optical lattice formed by retroreflecting the light of a CO/sub 2/-laser operating near 10.6 /spl mu/m. To our knowledge, this represents the first observation of the individual sites of an optical lattice with a periodicity near half the trapping wavelength. Besides the unusually large lattice constant (5.3 /spl mu/m), intriguing properties of this type of lattice also include extremely long coherence times, as the expected average photon scattering time is over 10 minutes.
We have observed rectified dipole forces acting on three-level atoms in the cascade configuration. Laser cooled and trapped rubidium atoms are illuminated with an intense bichromatic standing wave (780 and 776 nm) tuned near resonance with the 5S1/2{\mathit{S}}_{1/2}S1/2​\ensuremath{\rightarrow}5P3/2{\mathit{P}}_{3/2}P3/2​\ensuremath{\rightarrow}5D5/2{\mathit{D}}_{5/2}D5/2​ transitions. The resulting rectified forces produce periodic potential wells (71-\ensuremath{\mu}m period), which localize the cold atoms. Experimental results are in reasonable agreement with theoretical predictions. These forces may be useful in atom optics and laser traps.
This thesis reports on the design and construction of, and results from, an optical-dipole trapping apparatus developed to confine ultracold rubidium atoms in a conservative, large period, optical-dipole trap. An ultra-high vacuum system was designed and constructed to create a very low- background pressure. A new technique of viewport construction was developed, allowing for the fabrication of economical, high-quality windows for transmission of mid-infra-red laser radiation. The construction of a magneto-optical trap (MOT) and an optical molasses, and the subsequent characterisation, are discussed. A theory for the ac-Stark shift of atoms in a far-detuned laser field was developed. The nature of the scalar and tensorial light-shifts of the ground and first excited states of alkali atoms - the 5s(^2)S1/2 and 5p(^2)P3/2 states of Rb - has been examined. The effect of the differential light-shifts between these states on the operation of efficient laser cooling is discussed. A quasi-electrostatic dipole trap (QUEST) was formed from 50 W of CO2 laser power (٢ = 10.6 μm), focussed to <100 μm. The transfer of ultra-cold atoms from the MOT and optical molasses to the QUEST have been examined. Single beam and standing wave geometries of the QUEST have been implemented, with lifetimes of many seconds. The theory for the ac-Stark effect due to a single laser field has been further developed to consider orthogonally polarised fields with independent wavelengths. The use of an auxiliary laser field, a Nd:YAG laser at λ = 1.064 μm, to enhance the number and density of atoms loaded into the QUEST has been proposed and realised.
Laser-cooled 7Li^{7}\mathrm{Li}7Li atoms have been confined in three-dimensional spatially periodic potentials that are nearly conservative. The potentials were formed from the intersection of four laser beams far-detuned from the optical resonance. By adjusting the relative orientations of the beams, lattices with primitive translation vectors larger than the laser light wavelength were created. We achieved an effective temperature of \ensuremath{\sim}80 \ensuremath{\mu}K through adiabatic reduction of the confining potential strength, and prepared ensembles with effective temperatures of \ensuremath{\sim}1.8 \ensuremath{\mu}K by initially confining atoms in weak potentials.
After being pumped from the 5 s 1/2 ground state to the 6 p 1/2 state, the population inversion between 6 s 1/2 and 5 p 1/2,3/2 can be established for a rubidium four-level active optical clock. We calculate the ac Stark shift due to lattice trapping laser which dominates the frequency shift of clock transition in a lattice trapped rubidium four-level active optical clock. Several magic wavelengths are found, which can form desired optical lattice trapping potential. By choosing a proper intensity and linewidth of the trapping laser, the fractional frequency uncertainty of clock transition due to the ac Stark shift of the trapping laser, is estimated to be below 10 −18 .