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Physical Review A

Steady-state light-induced forces for atom lithography

A. V. Bezverbnyĭ, Прудников Олег Николаевич, A. V. Taǐchenachev, Anatolii M Tumaikin, Valeriy I. Yudin

Published Aug 4, 2005• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The light-induced force on an atom is calculated for an arbitrary field configuration, taking into account the spontaneous emission and optical pumping processes as well as the degeneracy of atomic energy levels. Two types of the optical transitions are analyzed: $J\ensuremath{\rightarrow}J$ with $J$ a half-integer and $J\ensuremath{\rightarrow}J+1$ with $J$ an arbitrary. Though the force is not potential in the general case, we introduce a scalar function $\ensuremath{\Psi}$, which plays a role of the potential energy, determining regions of localization of atoms. Applications of these results to atom nanolithography are discussed.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.72.023404

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arXiv:1808.06294•New Journal of Physics•Sep 6, 2018•12 citations
The light-induced force on an atom is calculated for an arbitrary field configuration, taking into account the spontaneous emission and optical pumping processes as well as the degeneracy of atomic energy levels. Two types of the optical transitions are analyzed: J\ensuremath→JJ\ensuremath{\rightarrow}JJ\ensuremath→J with JJJ a half-integer and J\ensuremath→J+1J\ensuremath{\rightarrow}J+1J\ensuremath→J+1 with JJJ an arbitrary. Though the force is not potential in the general case, we introduce a scalar function \ensuremathΨ\ensuremath{\Psi}\ensuremathΨ, which plays a role of the potential energy, determining regions of localization of atoms. Applications of these results to atom nanolithography are discussed.
An analysis of general characteristics of light-induced forces is presented for arbitrary monochromatic masks in which optical pumping of atoms and spontaneous emission play an important role. Dependence of regions of localization on detuning and ellipticity is determined for cyclic transitions of two types: J å J with half-integer J and J å J + 1 with arbitrary J . Numerical simulations of atomic beam focusing with one-and two-dimensional light masks show that spatial atom distributions with narrow features and high contrast can be formed in dissipative masks. In particular, spherical aberration is substantially reduced when the pumping field is tuned to a J å J + 1 transition with large J in lin ∼ lin configuration as compared to nondissipative masks.
The light force on slow atoms in a light field with arbitrary polarization distribution is explicitly evaluated in the case of an atomic transition J yields J with half-integer J values. The expression of the force is based on an exact analytical expression for the steady-state density matrix of the atoms. The force is naturally separated in contributions resulting from gradients of the field intensity, the polarization ellipticity, and the phase. In addition to a conservative part this force also contains a vortex component. In areas of spatial localization, where the total force vanishes, the atomic motion is governed by a potential, which in general is not harmonic for J greater than 1/2. Simple model of the formation of a one- or two-dimensional spatial atomic grating in a specific light field configuration illustrates the results.
The usual form of electromagnetic forces is given by but for neutral atoms q = 0. The next order of force is the dipole term, but this also vanishes because neutral atoms have no inherent dipole moment. However, a dipole moment can be induced by a field, and this is most efficient if the field is alternating near the atomic resonance frequency. Since these frequencies are typically in the optical range, dipole moments are efficiently induced by shining nearly resonant light on the atoms. Laser cooling and trapping rely on the interaction between laser light and atoms to exert a controllable force on the atoms, and many sophisticated schemes have been developed using the special properties of the interaction. This chapter begins with the simplest schemes for exerting optical forces on atoms, namely a single-frequency light field interacting with a two-level atom. Although this is the simplest possible scheme, it is pedagogically valuable because it shows many of the features that will be encountered further on. The ultimate temperature using such a scheme is limited, but lower temperatures can be achieved with multilevel atoms. This topic is addressed later in the chapter. Two kinds of optical forces When an atom absorbs nearly resonant light, it makes a transition to the excited state, and its subsequent return to the ground state can be either by spontaneous or by stimulated emission. The nature of the optical force that arises from these two different processes is quite different, and will be described separately [1]. The spontaneous emission case is different from the familiar quantum mechanical calculations using state vectors to describe the state of the system, because spontaneous emission causes the state of the system to evolve from a pure state into a mixed state (see Exercise 6.9). Spontaneous emission is an essential ingredient for the dissipative nature of the optical forces in monochromatic light, and the density matrix is needed to describe it (see Chap. 6). When an atom absorbs light, its energy excites the atom and its angular momentum changes the electron's orbit. Both of these are internal atomic properties. However, the linear momentum of the light, can change only the external, translational motion of the atom.
We study the force of light on a two-level atom near an ultrathin optical fiber using the mode function method and the Green tensor technique. We show that the total force consists of the driving-field force, the spontaneous-emission recoil force, and the fiber-induced van der Waals potential force. Due to the existence of a nonzero axial component of the field in a guided mode, the Rabi frequency and, hence, the magnitude of the force of the guided driving field may depend on the propagation direction. When the atomic dipole rotates in the meridional plane, the spontaneous-emission recoil force may arise as a result of the asymmetric spontaneous emission with respect to opposite propagation directions. The van der Waals potential for the atom in the ground state is off-resonant and opposite to the off-resonant part of the van der Waals potential for the atom in the excited state. Unlike the potential for the ground state, the potential for the excited state may oscillate depending on the distance from the atom to the fiber surface.
We study the force of light on a two-level atom near an ultrathin optical fiber using the mode function method and the Green tensor technique. We show that the total force consists of the driving-field force, the spontaneous-emission recoil force, and the fiber-induced van der Waals potential force. Due to the existence of a nonzero axial component of the field in a guided mode, the Rabi frequency and, hence, the magnitude of the force of the guided driving field may depend on the propagation direction. When the atomic dipole rotates in the meridional plane, the spontaneous-emission recoil force may arise as a result of the asymmetric spontaneous emission with respect to opposite propagation directions. The van der Waals potential for the atom in the ground state is off-resonant and opposite to the off-resonant part of the van der Waals potential for the atom in the excited state. Unlike the potential for the ground state, the potential for the excited state may oscillate depending on the distance from the atom to the fiber surface.