Nonlinear and quantum atom optics

Sigurd Dyrting, Gerard J Milburn

It is proposed that the atomic optical system of an ytterbium atom in a time-dependent optical standing wave be used to experimentally observe quantum nonlinear motion and, in particular, predict the quantum behavior of a system whose classical analog ranges from completely integrable, to near integrable, and finally to globally chaotic motion. We extend previous treatments to include spontaneous emission. From the study of theoretical models of dissipative quantum nonlinear motion, it is known that even small amounts of dissipation can significantly alter the quantum dynamics through the destruction of coherences. In this paper we present some theoretical and numerical results of the effect of spontaneous emission on nonlinear nonintegrable dynamics in atomic optics. When spontaneous emission is included, we show that the nature of the light-atom interaction introduces interesting features not usually investigated in models of dissipative quantum nonlinear dynamics. These include a potential that depends on the atom's internal state, a band structure, and a time-dependent dissipative process.

Ullrich Martini, Christian Wagner, Axel Schenzle

We give a brief overview of how atomic physics is now developing in a way reminiscent of the optics revolution of the 1 9605. Thanks in particular to recent progress in atomic trapping and cooling, the new field of atom optics is rapidly leading to exciting new developments such as nonlinear atom optics and quantum atom optics . We illustrate these advances with examples out of our own research .

Sigurd Dyrting, Wenyu Chen, Gerard J Milburn

Elena V. Goldstein, M. G. Moore, O. Zobay +1 more

We give a brief overview of the way atomic physics is now developing in a way reminiscent of the optics revolution of the 1960's. Thanks in particular to recent developments in atomic trapping and cooling, the new field of atom optics is rapidly leading to exciting new developments such as nonlinear atom optics and quantum atom optics. We illustrate these developments with examples out of our own research.