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Physical Review A

Compression of cold atoms to very high densities in a rotating-beam blue-detuned optical trap

N. Friedman, Lev Khaykovich, Roee Ozeri, Nir Davidson

Published Feb 3, 2000• 73 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We propose and demonstrate a scheme for a blue-detuned optical dipole trap for cold atoms which consists of a single, rapidly rotating laser beam. We characterize a parameter range in which the optical potential can be accurately described by a quasistatic time-averaged potential. The trap is loaded with $>{10}^{6}$ Rb atoms, and is then compressed adiabatically by a factor of 350 to a final density of $5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{13}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}.$ $\mathrm{A}\ensuremath{\sim}4$ times adiabatic increase in the peak phase-space density of the trapped atoms is obtained due to the change in the shape of the trap potential. The two-body elastic and inelastic collision rates of atoms in the compressed trap are determined.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.61.031403

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We present the experimental realization of a compressible blue-detuned crossed dipole trap for cold atoms allowing for fast dynamical compression ($\ensuremath{\sim}$5--10 ms) of $5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{7}$ rubidium atoms up to densities of $\ensuremath{\sim}$${10}^{13}\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}{\text{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$. The dipole trap consists of two intersecting tubes of blue-detuned laser light. These tubes are formed using a single, rapidly rotating laser beam which, for sufficiently fast rotation frequencies, can be accurately described by a quasistatic potential. The atomic cloud is compressed by dynamically reducing the trap volume, leading to densities close to the Ioffe-Regel criterion for light localization.
A scheme to trap atoms in a blue-detuned optical dipole trap, formed with a single laser beam and a holographic phase plate, is demonstrated. 105{10}^{5}105 rubidium atoms are trapped for (1/e lifetime) \ensuremath{\sim}300 msec, at temperatures of \ensuremath{\sim}24 \ensuremath{\mu}K and a density of $\ensuremath{\sim}7\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{11}{\mathrm{a}\mathrm{t}\mathrm{o}\mathrm{m}\mathrm{s}/\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^{3},$ for a trapping beam detuning of 0.1--30 nm. The time for a trapped atom to scatter one photon off the trapping beam is measured and found to be linear in the trapping laser detuning. At a detuning of 0.5 nm from resonance this time was measured to be \ensuremath{\sim}100 msec, indicating that the atoms are exposed on average only to \ensuremath{\sim}1/700 of the maximal light intensity in the trap. The use of a single laser beam allows for simple dynamical changes of the potential and large adiabatic compressions, while keeping the atoms mainly in the dark.
Summary form only given. A rapidly scanning far-detuned laser beam can generate a time-averaged optical dipole potential provided that the scan speed is much faster then any characteristic atomic motional time scale. The slow motional time scales of ultra cold atoms enables the use of even tightly focused scanning beams with readily attainable scan speeds of few hundred kHz. This concept offers the possibility to form nearly arbitrary effective optical potentials and also to change them in real time. It was recently used for adiabatic compression of rubidium atoms in a single-beam dark optical trap up to densities of 5/spl times/10/sup 13/ cm/sup -3/. Here we report on three new atom-optics applications based on rapidly scanning beams.
We report a method for loading cold atoms into an optical trap with high initial phase-space density (PSD). When the trap beam is overlapped with atoms in optical molasses of optimized parameters including large cooling beam detuning compared with conventional detuning used for a magneto-optical trap (MOT), more than $3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{6}$ rubidium atoms with an initial temperature less than 20 $\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{K}$ are loaded into a single beam trap. The obtained maximum initial PSD is estimated to be $1.1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$, which is one or two orders of magnitude greater than that achieved with the conventional loading into an optical trap from atoms in a MOT. The proposed method is promising for creating a quantum gas with a large number of atoms in a short evaporation time.