Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Physical Review Letters

Cold Atom Beam Splitter Realized with Two Crossing Dipole Guides

Olivier Houdé, Demascoth Kadio, Laurence Pruvost

Published Dec 25, 2000• 50 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Cold rubidium atoms, coupled and guided in a vertical laser beam by the dipole force, have been split into two atomic beams, by using a second time-dependent laser beam crossing the vertical one at a 0.12 rad angle. Transfer efficiency as large as 40% has been obtained. At 10 mm below the cold atom source, the two atomic beams have a few hundred micron size and are more than one millimeter apart from each other.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.85.5543

Related papers

A beam-splitter for cold atoms realised with two dipole guides

Laurence Pruvost, Demascoth Kadio, Olivier Houdé

\nA beam-splitter for cold atoms is realised with two dipole guides which intersect. Each guide is created by an intense laser beam produced by a Nd:YAG laser. The cold atom cloud, introduced in one guide via the gravity field, is split into two parts when it passes through the intersection region of the guides. The laser frequency is so far detuned from the rubidium atomic resonance that guiding and splitting are obtained without any losses. The coupling in the guide intersection is strong enough to realise an output angle of 7° and an efficiency of 40%. With the beam-splitter a macroscopic separation of the atomic packets larger than one millimetre is demonstrated at a distance of about 5 mm after the intersection. Furthermore the split atomic clouds are guided in each arm of the beam-splitter. Details about the guides (realisation and performance) and an application using a concave atomic mirror are also given in order to describe the beam-splitter and its use.\n

Journal de Physique IV (Proceedings)•Jun 1, 2002•0 citations

Theoretical study of a cold-atom beam splitter

Naceur Gaaloul, Annick Giusti-Suzor, Laurence Pruvost +2 more

A theoretical model is presented for the study of the dynamics of a cold atomic cloud falling in the gravity field in the presence of two crossing dipole guides. The cloud is split between the two branches of this laser guide, and we compare experimental measurements of the splitting efficiency with semiclassical simulations. We then explore the possibilities of optimization of this beam splitter. Our numerical study also gives access to detailed information, such as the atom temperature after the splitting.

arXiv:quant-ph/0601137•Physical Review A•Aug 24, 2006•12 citations

All optical guiding and splitting of a cold atomic beam

D. P. Rhodes, J. Livesey, Gavin P. T. Lancaster +2 more

Summary form only given. The widespread use of magneto-optical traps (MOT) and the development of BEC over the last 10 years have led to the field of atom optics. This field requires the use of equivalent elements to optical mirrors, lenses and beam splitters. The generation of a large deviation atomic beam splitter is one of the most important goals, as it allows the construction of atom interferometers. Optical methods for achieving these elements are enticing, as the use of laser beams would make it easier to alter parameters of your guides within a vacuum chamber. Recent work has demonstrated the use of optical beams to guide and split atoms from a cold atom source. Here we present novel experimental studies of the optical guiding (in both the red- and blue-detuned regime) of a low-velocity intense source (LVIS) of atoms emanating from a rubidium MOT.

Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference•Jun 25, 2003•0 citations

Experimental Investigation of the Influence of the Laser Beam Waist on Cold Atom Guiding Efficiency

Ningfang Song, Di Hu, Xiaobin Xu +3 more

The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of the vertical guiding laser beam waist on cold atom guiding efficiency. In this study, a double magneto-optical trap (MOT) apparatus is used. With an unbalanced force in the horizontal direction, a cold atomic beam is generated by the first MOT. The cold atoms enter the second chamber and are then re-trapped and cooled by the second MOT. By releasing a second atom cloud, the process of transferring the cold atoms from MOT to the dipole trap, which is formed by a red-detuned converged 1064-nm laser, is experimentally demonstrated. And after releasing for 20 ms, the atom cloud is guided to a distance of approximately 3 mm. As indicated by the results, the guiding efficiency depends strongly on the laser beam waist; the efficiency reaches a maximum when the waist radius (w0) of the laser is in the range of 15 to 25 μm, while the initial atom cloud has a radius of 133 μm. Additionally, the properties of the atoms inside the dipole potential trap, such as the distribution profile and lifetime, are deduced from the fluorescence images.

Sensors•Feb 28, 2018•1 citation

An all-optical velocity filter and beam splitter for generating cold molecular beams: a proposal and simulation

Xingjia Li, Runqin Liu, Jianping Yin

Abstract In order to generate one or two cold molecular beams that have neither a permanent electric dipole moment nor a magnetic dipole one, a controllable scheme to form an all-optical velocity filter and molecular beam splitter by using two red-detuned, crossing and cavity-enhanced guiding laser beams is proposed, and both the dynamic velocity filtering and beam splitting processes of the guided cold I 2 molecular beam are studied by using the three-dimensional Monte Carlo method. Our study shows that by adjusting the laser power difference between the two guiding laser beams from −124 W to 124 W, a splitting ratio of the two-arm output molecular beams from about 10.3% to 89.7% can be obtained. Also, by adjusting the intersection angle between the two standing wave cavities from 80° to 10°, an adjustable splitting ratio from about 1.6% to 98.4% can be obtained. If the intersection angle between the guided oblique beam and the guided straight beam is set to 80°, a cold I 2 molecular beam with a full-width at half-maximum longitudinal velocity of 1 m s −1 and a longitudinal temperature of 8 mK can be generated by using an all-optical velocity filter.

Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics•Nov 13, 2015•1 citation

Demonstration of a cold atom beam splitter on atom chip

Xiaojun Jiang, Xiaolin Li, Haichao Zhang +1 more

We report an experimental demonstration of a new scheme to split cold atoms on an atom chip. The atom chip consists of a U-wire and a Z-wire. The cold atom cloud is initially loaded and prepared in the Z-trap, which is split into two separate parts by switching on the current of the U-wire. The two separate atom clouds have a distance more than one millimeter apart from each other and show almost symmetrical profiles, corresponding to about a 50/50 splitting ratio.

Chinese Physics B•Jul 26, 2016•2 citations
Cold rubidium atoms, coupled and guided in a vertical laser beam by the dipole force, have been split into two atomic beams, by using a second time-dependent laser beam crossing the vertical one at a 0.12 rad angle. Transfer efficiency as large as 40% has been obtained. At 10 mm below the cold atom source, the two atomic beams have a few hundred micron size and are more than one millimeter apart from each other.
\nA beam-splitter for cold atoms is realised with two dipole guides which intersect. Each guide is created by an intense laser beam produced by a Nd:YAG laser. The cold atom cloud, introduced in one guide via the gravity field, is split into two parts when it passes through the intersection region of the guides. The laser frequency is so far detuned from the rubidium atomic resonance that guiding and splitting are obtained without any losses. The coupling in the guide intersection is strong enough to realise an output angle of 7° and an efficiency of 40%. With the beam-splitter a macroscopic separation of the atomic packets larger than one millimetre is demonstrated at a distance of about 5 mm after the intersection. Furthermore the split atomic clouds are guided in each arm of the beam-splitter. Details about the guides (realisation and performance) and an application using a concave atomic mirror are also given in order to describe the beam-splitter and its use.\n
A theoretical model is presented for the study of the dynamics of a cold atomic cloud falling in the gravity field in the presence of two crossing dipole guides. The cloud is split between the two branches of this laser guide, and we compare experimental measurements of the splitting efficiency with semiclassical simulations. We then explore the possibilities of optimization of this beam splitter. Our numerical study also gives access to detailed information, such as the atom temperature after the splitting.
Summary form only given. The widespread use of magneto-optical traps (MOT) and the development of BEC over the last 10 years have led to the field of atom optics. This field requires the use of equivalent elements to optical mirrors, lenses and beam splitters. The generation of a large deviation atomic beam splitter is one of the most important goals, as it allows the construction of atom interferometers. Optical methods for achieving these elements are enticing, as the use of laser beams would make it easier to alter parameters of your guides within a vacuum chamber. Recent work has demonstrated the use of optical beams to guide and split atoms from a cold atom source. Here we present novel experimental studies of the optical guiding (in both the red- and blue-detuned regime) of a low-velocity intense source (LVIS) of atoms emanating from a rubidium MOT.
The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of the vertical guiding laser beam waist on cold atom guiding efficiency. In this study, a double magneto-optical trap (MOT) apparatus is used. With an unbalanced force in the horizontal direction, a cold atomic beam is generated by the first MOT. The cold atoms enter the second chamber and are then re-trapped and cooled by the second MOT. By releasing a second atom cloud, the process of transferring the cold atoms from MOT to the dipole trap, which is formed by a red-detuned converged 1064-nm laser, is experimentally demonstrated. And after releasing for 20 ms, the atom cloud is guided to a distance of approximately 3 mm. As indicated by the results, the guiding efficiency depends strongly on the laser beam waist; the efficiency reaches a maximum when the waist radius (w0) of the laser is in the range of 15 to 25 μm, while the initial atom cloud has a radius of 133 μm. Additionally, the properties of the atoms inside the dipole potential trap, such as the distribution profile and lifetime, are deduced from the fluorescence images.
Abstract In order to generate one or two cold molecular beams that have neither a permanent electric dipole moment nor a magnetic dipole one, a controllable scheme to form an all-optical velocity filter and molecular beam splitter by using two red-detuned, crossing and cavity-enhanced guiding laser beams is proposed, and both the dynamic velocity filtering and beam splitting processes of the guided cold I 2 molecular beam are studied by using the three-dimensional Monte Carlo method. Our study shows that by adjusting the laser power difference between the two guiding laser beams from −124 W to 124 W, a splitting ratio of the two-arm output molecular beams from about 10.3% to 89.7% can be obtained. Also, by adjusting the intersection angle between the two standing wave cavities from 80° to 10°, an adjustable splitting ratio from about 1.6% to 98.4% can be obtained. If the intersection angle between the guided oblique beam and the guided straight beam is set to 80°, a cold I 2 molecular beam with a full-width at half-maximum longitudinal velocity of 1 m s −1 and a longitudinal temperature of 8 mK can be generated by using an all-optical velocity filter.