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Physical Review A

Observation of a transient response of recoil-induced resonance: A method for the measurement of atomic motion in an optical standing wave

Mikio Kozuma, Y. Imai, Ken-ichi Nakagawa, Motoichi Ohtsu

Published Nov 1, 1995• 17 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We demonstrate a method to directly observe the dynamics of motion of cold atoms in an optical standing wave using a recoil-induced resonance. By detecting a transient response of this resonance, we observed the interaction between an atomic population grating and a periodic optical potential. Using this method, we investigated the lifetime of the atomic grating under various conditions in the optical potential. As a result, we obtained the appropriate conditions for the long lifetime and observed the narrowest linewidth in the recoil-induced resonance corresponding to the atomic temperature of 4.4\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.3 \ensuremath{\mu}K for $^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ atoms.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.52.r3421

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Bulletin of the American Physical Society•May 22, 2009•0 citations
We demonstrate a method to directly observe the dynamics of motion of cold atoms in an optical standing wave using a recoil-induced resonance. By detecting a transient response of this resonance, we observed the interaction between an atomic population grating and a periodic optical potential. Using this method, we investigated the lifetime of the atomic grating under various conditions in the optical potential. As a result, we obtained the appropriate conditions for the long lifetime and observed the narrowest linewidth in the recoil-induced resonance corresponding to the atomic temperature of 4.4\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.3 \ensuremath{\mu}K for 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb atoms.
We have investigated the dynamic temporal behavior of atomic motion in a periodic optical potential by detecting a recoil-induced resonance signal. In the slowly moving optical potential, damped oscillations are observed in the transient signal and the oscillation frequency is found to be independent of the moving speed of the potential. By using a Monte Carlo wave-function method, the signal can be attributed to the oscillatory motion of atomic wave packet localized in the potential, where the oscillation frequency corresponds to the energy separation between vibrational levels.
We use an optically dense anisotropic magneto-optical trap to study recoil-induced resonances (RIRs) in the transient high-gain regime. We find that two distinct mechanisms govern the atomic dynamics: the finite, frequency-dependent atomic response time and momentum-space population redistribution. At low input probe intensities, the residual Doppler width of the atoms, combined with the finite atomic response time, result in a linear transient hysteretic effect that modifies the locations, widths, and magnitudes of the resulting gain spectra depending on the sign of the scan chirp. When larger intensities (i.e., greater than a few $\ensuremath{\mu}\text{W}/{\text{cm}}^{2}$) are incident on the atomic sample for several $\ensuremath{\mu}\text{s}$, hole burning in the atomic sample momentum distribution leads to a coherent population redistribution that persists for approximately $100\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\text{s}$. We propose using RIRs to engineer the atomic momentum distribution to enhance the nonlinear atom-photon coupling. We present a numerical model and compare the calculated and experimental results to verify our interpretation.
We have employed recoil-induced resonance (RIR) with linewidth on the order of 10 kHz to demonstrate the fast thermometry for ultracold atoms. We theoretically calculate the absorption spectrum of RIR which agrees well with the experimental results. The temperature of the ultracold sample derived from the RIR spectrum is T = 84±4.5 μK, which is close to 85 μK that measured by the method of time-of-flight absorption imaging. To exhibit the fast measurement advantage in applying RIR to the ultracold atom thermometry, we study the dependence of ultracold sample temperature on the trapping beam frequency detuning. This method can be applied to determine the translational temperature of molecules in photoassociation dynamics.
We have developed a technique for measuring the atomic recoil frequency using a single-state echo-type atom interferometer that manipulates laser-cooled atoms in the ground state. The interferometer relies on momentum-state interference due to two standing-wave pulses that produce density gratings. The interference is modified by applying a third standing-wave pulse during the interferometer pulse sequence. As a result, the grating contrast exhibits periodic revivals at the atomic recoil frequency ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{r}$ as a function of the time at which the third pulse is applied, allowing ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{r}$ to be measured easily and precisely. The contrast is accurately described by a coherence function, which is the Fourier transform of the momentum distribution, produced by the third pulse and by the theory of echo formation. If the third pulse is a traveling wave, loss of grating contrast is observed, an effect also described by a coherence function. The decay of the grating contrast as a function of continuous-wave light intensity is used to infer the cross section for photon absorption.
We have developed a technique for measuring the atomic recoil frequency using a single-state echo-type atom interferometer that manipulates laser-cooled atoms in the ground state. The interferometer relies on momentum-state interference due to two standing-wave pulses that produce density gratings. The interference is modified by applying a third standing-wave pulse during the interferometer pulse sequence. As a result, the grating contrast exhibits periodic revivals at the atomic recoil frequency r as a function of the time at which the third pulse is applied, allowing r to be measured easily and precisely. The contrast is accurately described by a coherence function, which is the Fourier transform of the momentum distribution, produced by the third pulse and by the theory of echo formation. If the third pulse is a traveling wave, loss of grating contrast is observed, an effect also described by a coherence function. The decay of the grating contrast as a function of continuous-wave light intensity is used to infer the cross section for photon absorption.