Isotope Separation Using Quantum Revival Phenomenon in Nanofibers

Hyunchul Oh

Ilya Sh. Averbukh, Marc J. J. Vrakking, David M. Villeneuve +1 more

We introduce and demonstrate a general wave packet method for laser isotope separation. In this scheme, laser excited molecular (or atomic) wave packets of differing isotopes become spatially separated in the course of their long-time free evolution. In order to overcome the quantum spreading of wave packets, we make use of the phenomenon of revivals. We demonstrate experimentally, with mixed ${}^{79}$B${\mathrm{r}}_{2}$${\mathrm{/}}^{81}$B${\mathrm{r}}_{2}$ isotopes, that significant control over the isotope ratio can be achieved in a single shot.

Sylvain Ravets

Farhan Saif

Based on the dynamical de-localization phenomenon we show that different isotopes of a material can be separated. We explain that the suggested scheme can be realized in the laboratory using presently available experimental facilities.

G. L. PETERSON, Cyrus D. Cantrell

We propose a method of laser isotope separation based on the phenomenon of adiabatic inversion and illustrate the method in a multilevel system consisting of a single ground state and multiplet excited states. In this model, population may be transferred from the ground state to one of the excited manifolds with nearly 100% efficiency by using laser pulses, the envelope of which rises slowly and then decays rapidly on an internal time scale that can be precisely calculated. Adiabatic inversion in this model is strongly dependent on the laser frequency, thus permitting separation of isotopes by faking advantage of small shifts in molecular or atomic energy level spacings. The criterion that determines whether a laser pulse is adiabatic also depends strongly on the laser frequency and thereby enhances the separation. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the method with a solution of the time-dependent Schroedinger equation for a specific model of two isotopes.

Sylvain Ravets