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Physical Review A

Large-angle adjustable coherent atomic beam splitter by Bragg scattering

A. E. A. Koolen, Gijs Jansen, K.F.E.M. Domen, Herman C. W. Beijerinck, K. A. H. van Leeuwen

Published Apr 10, 2002• 32 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Using a ``monochromatic'' (single-axial-velocity) and slow (250 m/s) beam of metastable helium atoms, we realize up to eighth-order Bragg scattering and obtain a splitting angle of 6 mrad at low laser power (3 mW). This corresponds to a truly macroscopic separation of 12 mm on the detector. For fifth-order scattering, we have observed several oscillations of the splitting ratio when varying the laser power (``Pendell\"osung oscillations''). The large splitting angle, the adjustable splitting ratio, and the cleanness of the split beams, with $200\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$ rms width each, make the beam splitter ideal for a large-enclosed-area atom interferometer.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.65.041601

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Using a monochromatic'' (single-axial-velocity) and slow (250 m/s) beam of metastable helium atoms, we realize up to eighth-order Bragg scattering and obtain a splitting angle of 6 mrad at low laser power (3 mW). This corresponds to a truly macroscopic separation of 12 mm on the detector. For fifth-order scattering, we have observed several oscillations of the splitting ratio when varying the laser power (Pendell"osung oscillations''). The large splitting angle, the adjustable splitting ratio, and the cleanness of the split beams, with 200\ensuremath−\ensuremathμm200\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}200\ensuremath−\ensuremathμm rms width each, make the beam splitter ideal for a large-enclosed-area atom interferometer.
We have used a new technique to construct a clean, large-angle, coherent atomic beam splitter with an easily adjustable splitting angle. Helium atoms in the J=1 metastable state diffract from a far-detuned light field with ‘corkscrew’ polarization in the presence of a homogeneous magnetic field. Adiabatic transfer from magnetic energy to ‘transverse kinetic energy’ then allows symmetric diffraction of the incoming beam in a single, high diffraction order with a different value of M. The order is set by the value of the magnetic field. The result is a flexible, adjustable, large-angle, three-way atomic beam splitter for atom interferometry.
We report on a technique to split an atomic beam coherently with an easily adjustable splitting angle. In our experiment metastable helium atoms in the ∣1s2s3S1M=1⟩|{1s2s}{^{3}S}_{1}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}M=1⟩∣1s2s3S1​M=1⟩ state diffract from a polarization gradient light field formed by counterpropagating ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}^{+}$ and ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ polarized laser beams in the presence of a homogeneous magnetic field. In the near-adiabatic regime, energy conservation allows the resonant exchange between magnetic energy and kinetic energy. As a consequence, symmetric diffraction of ∣M=0⟩|M=0⟩∣M=0⟩ or $|M=\ensuremath{-}1⟩$ atoms in a single order is achieved, where the order can be chosen freely by tuning the magnetic field. We present experimental results up to sixth-order diffraction ($24\ensuremath{\hbar}k$ momentum splitting, i.e., 2.21 m/s in transverse velocity) and present a simple theoretical model that stresses the similarity with conventional Bragg scattering. The resulting device constitutes a flexible, adjustable, large-angle, three-way coherent atomic beam splitter with many potential applications in atom optics and atom interferometry.
Abstract Atomic beam splitters are fundamental components of atom interferometers, with broad applications in high sensitivity metrology and integrated atom optics devices. In this work, we theoretically demonstrate coherent beam splitting of a metastable helium atomic beam using a pulsed bichromatic standing wave. Our key innovation is a fully self-consistent model coupling the optical Bloch equations - which include spontaneous emission via a Lindblad term - with the classical equations of atomic motion, enabling the simulation of real-time splitting dynamics. This allows us to simulate the real-time dynamics and identify optimal experimental parameters neglected in prior splitter studies. Crucially, we find that the optimal standing-wave phase difference is ϕ= 3π/4, not π/2, maximizing the distinction between the dynamical pathways for splitting the metastable helium beam (2 3 S 1 →3 3 P 2 transition). We propose and validate the use of optical pulses shorter than the spontaneous emission lifetime to suppress decoherence. Monte Carlo simulations predict a clean binary split with a tunable splitting angle to 56 mrad, corresponding to 56 ħk momentum transfer, and a splitting efficiency of 55 - 83% via detuning.
Effective atomic beam splitters providing large scattering angles are central to atom optics and atom interferometry. Their most common optical realization relies on first-order Bragg scattering, which generates a splitting of the atomic wave function in momentum space. For typical atomic beam velocities of the order of 100 m/s, 2ħk produces very small scattering angles. Higher-order Bragg scattering is of questionable practicality, because of the need for atom–field interaction times that scale exponentially with the scattering order. Attempts at solving this problem include the introduction of multiple laser beams, the use of three-level transition schemes, and the application of velocity-tuned, or Doppleron, resonances. We present a novel scheme that uses a Doppleron resonance as a catalyst to speed up a high-order Bragg resonance by orders of magnitude. This effect occurs when the atom–field frequency detuning is such that the Bragg resonance and the Doppleron resonance become degenerate. Alternatively, in the band-theoretical description of the near-resonant Kapitza–Dirac effect, the Doppleron resonance is required to occur either at the center or at the boundary of the first Brillouin zone.
Bloch oscillations (i.e., coherent acceleration of matter waves by an optical lattice) and Bragg diffraction are integrated into light-pulse atom interferometers with large momentum splitting between the interferometer arms, and hence enhanced sensitivity. Simultaneous acceleration of both arms in the same internal states suppresses systematic effects, and simultaneously running a pair of interferometers suppresses the effect of vibrations. Ramsey-Bordé interferometers using four such Bloch-Bragg-Bloch beam splitters exhibit 15% contrast at 24variant Planck's over 2pik splitting, the largest so far (variant Planck's over 2pik is the photon momentum); single beam splitters achieve 88variant Planck's over 2pik. The prospects for reaching 100 s of variant Planck's over 2pik and applications such as gravitational wave sensors are discussed.
Atomic beam splitter needs for the practical realization of nano-scale lithography by coherent scattering of the atoms. We consider the different types of atomic beam splitters, which could be used for the creation of the space structures with nano-scale period. We concentrate to a few main schemes of an interaction between an atom beam and optical radiation, which can produce a large angle splitting of atom beam into only two main momentum components: multi Bragg scattering an atom wave packet in standing wave; coherent splitting by scattering of an atom wave packet in standing wave with modulated intensity, when the intensity of the standing wave changes harmonically. We discuss also the experimental possibility of an atom selection in internal states for obtaining of space periodical structure with high clearance.