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Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE

Trapping Rydberg atoms in optical lattices

Georg A. Raithel, Kelly Cooper Younge, Sarah Elizabeth Anderson, Brenton Knuffman

Published Sep 10, 2010• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

We study Rydberg atoms in ponderomotive optical lattices. Unlike for ground-state atoms, for Rydberg atoms in an optical lattice the extent of the electronic wave-function can approach the lattice period. This leads to state-dependent adiabatic trapping potentials that are unique to Rydberg atoms. We first discuss a theoretical model of adiabatic lattice potentials of Rydberg atoms. Then, we use microwave spectroscopy to experimentally demonstrate and investigate the state-dependence of the adiabatic potentials of S1/2 Rydberg states of rubidium. The observed microwave spectra depend strongly on both the principal quantum number and the depth of the lattice. A semi-classical simulation is used to explain the features seen in the spectra. Based on the results, we estimate the trapping efficiency of the ponderomotive optical lattice.

DOI
10.1117/12.882209

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We study Rydberg atoms in ponderomotive optical lattices. Unlike for ground-state atoms, for Rydberg atoms in an optical lattice the extent of the electronic wave-function can approach the lattice period. This leads to state-dependent adiabatic trapping potentials that are unique to Rydberg atoms. We first discuss a theoretical model of adiabatic lattice potentials of Rydberg atoms. Then, we use microwave spectroscopy to experimentally demonstrate and investigate the state-dependence of the adiabatic potentials of S1/2 Rydberg states of rubidium. The observed microwave spectra depend strongly on both the principal quantum number and the depth of the lattice. A semi-classical simulation is used to explain the features seen in the spectra. Based on the results, we estimate the trapping efficiency of the ponderomotive optical lattice.
We study Rydberg atoms in ponderomotive optical lattices. Unlike for ground-state atoms, for Rydberg atoms in an optical lattice, the extent of the electronic wave-function can approach the lattice period. This leads to state-dependent adiabatic trapping potentials that are unique to Rydberg atoms. We use microwave spectroscopy to experimentally demonstrate and investigate the state-dependence of the adiabatic potentials of S1/2 Rydberg states of rubidium. The observed microwave spectra depend strongly on both the principal quantum number and the depth of the lattice. A semi-classical simulation is used to interpret the features seen in the microwave spectra. A large fraction of the Rydberg atoms can be trapped in the ponderomotive optical lattice.
I examine the trapping of Rydberg atoms in an optical standing wave. This trap, called an optical lattice, offers a platform for utilizing Rydberg atoms and their unique properties in applications such as atomic spectroscopy and quantum computing. Toward this end, I demonstrate the capability to trap rubidium 85 Rydberg atoms in a one-dimensional 1064 nm wavelength optical lattice with high efficiency. I have achieved a 90% trapping efficiency by inverting the lattice immediately after Rydberg-atom excitation, using an electro-optic technique. In addition, I investigate the dependence of optical-lattice trapping potentials for Rydberg atoms on the angular portion of the atomic wavefunction. While ground-state atoms are point-like in relation to an optical-lattice field, Rydberg-atom wavefunctions extend over a substantial fraction of the lattice period, leading to an angular dependence of the lattice trapping potentials. I measure the potentials using various angular sublevels of Rydberg nD states prepared in the optical lattice with a superimposed transverse DC electric field. This unique angular dependence of Rydberg-atom optical lattices may be exploited to tailor the trapping potentials as needed for spectroscopy or quantum computing. Further, atom loss due to lattice-induced photoionization of Rydberg atoms must be characterized for applications. I investigate the photoionization process as a function of position within the volume of a Rydberg atom. Since Rydberg-atom sizes approximately equal the lattice period, the lattice intensity varies maximally within the atomic volume. I find that photoionization rates are higher for lattice intensity maxima located near the nucleus than within the lobes of the electronic probability distribution. Photoionization therefore occurs near the Rydberg-atom nucleus. Finally, I calculate photoionization rates for Rydberg atoms in optical fields and investigate how these rates relate to the validity of the electric dipole approximation. This approximation is usually central to matter-field interactions, and Rydberg atoms in optical fields present a system for studying the approximation in a limiting case. I further apply the photoionization calculations to experimentally-relevant conditions. With these advances, this thesis lays essential groundwork for the employment of Rydberg-atom optical lattices in applications.
We investigate the dependence of optical-lattice trapping potentials for Rydberg atoms on the angular portion of the atomic wave function. While ground-state atoms are pointlike in relation to an optical-lattice field, Rydberg-atom wave functions extend over a substantial fraction of the lattice period, which leads to a dependence of the lattice trapping potential on the angular portion of the spatial wave function. The angular dependence of the potential is measured using various (j, m(j)) levels of 85Rb Rydberg nD states (50≤n≤65) prepared in a one-dimensional optical lattice (wavelength 1064 nm) and a transverse dc electric field. The measured optical-lattice depths are found to be in agreement with theoretical results.
We develop and study quantum and semiclassical models of Rydberg-atom spectroscopy in amplitude-modulated optical lattices. Both initial- and target-state Rydberg atoms are trapped in the lattice. Unlike in other spectroscopic schemes, the modulation-induced ponderomotive coupling between the Rydberg states is spatially periodic and perfectly phase-locked to the lattice trapping potentials. This leads to a type of sub-Doppler mechanism which we explain in detail. In our exact quantum model, we solve the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation in the product space of center-of-mass (COM) momentum states and the internal-state space. We also develop a perturbative model based on the band structure in the lattice and Fermi's golden rule, as well as a semiclassical trajectory model in which the COM is treated classically and the internal-state dynamics quantum-mechanically. In all models we obtain the spectrum of the target Rydberg-state population versus the lattice modulation frequency, averaged over the initial thermal COM momentum distribution of the atoms. We investigate the quantum-classical correspondence of the problem in several parameter regimes and exhibit spectral features that arise from vibrational COM coherences and rotary-echo effects. Applications in Rydberg-atom spectroscopy are discussed.