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Physical Review A

Optical mask for laser-cooled atoms

Andrey V. Turlapov, Alexey Tonyushkin, Tycho Sleator

Published Aug 28, 2003• 25 citations
Publisher

Abstract

An optical mask is a standing wave of light in resonance with an open atomic transition. The mask depletes the population of the initial internal state everywhere except in a narrow vicinity of the nodes. We have experimentally explored the optical mask as a tool for creating a periodic pattern in the density of cold rubidium atoms (in a particular hyperfine ground state) and also as an instrument for imaging the density in situ. The instrumental width of the imaging technique is a small fraction of the optical wavelength and is limited due to an effect of the dipole force rather than the initial velocity spread.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.68.023408

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An optical mask is a standing wave of light in resonance with an open atomic transition. The mask depletes the population of the initial internal state everywhere except in a narrow vicinity of the nodes. We have experimentally explored the optical mask as a tool for creating a periodic pattern in the density of cold rubidium atoms (in a particular hyperfine ground state) and also as an instrument for imaging the density in situ. The instrumental width of the imaging technique is a small fraction of the optical wavelength and is limited due to an effect of the dipole force rather than the initial velocity spread.
This thesis presents work performed to obtain an optical mask for conducting matter-wave interfer-ometry experiments with ultra-cold rubidium-85 atoms. The optical mask is essentially an absorptive diffraction grating made of light, and it can imprint a periodic density pattern on a cloud of atoms with a period of half the wavelength of the light used. The mask has an analogous effect to quickly passing a diffraction grating through the cloud, removing atoms located at the nodes of the grating (though the optical mask depumps atoms to a different hyperfine ground state rather than actually removes them). The mask should be useful in performing precision measurements of physical constants such as the fine-structure constant α, and acceleration due to gravity g. The thesis briefly expounds major historical developments in atom interferometry and laser cooling. Prerequisites for an optical mask include a functioning magneto-optical trap, and the ability to perform polarisation-gradient cooling on trapped atoms. The theory of these two techniques is reviewed and the principle of the the optical mask is explained. The experimental apparatus that was constructed to realise the optical mask is described, and technical developments made along the way are presented. Finally, aspects of the ex-periment relevant to the optical mask are characterised. The experiment can reliably produce samples of cold atoms at temperatures of around 10 µK, and can use the cold atoms as an optical frequency reference accurate to ∼ 1 MHz. Clear evidence that the cloud of atoms is being density-modulated by the optical mask is presented. Improvements required to make the experiment into a fully-functioning interferometer are also discussed. i ii
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We present the experimental realization of optical superlattices created by exposing laser cooled 85Rb{}^{85}\mathrm{Rb}85Rb atoms to a bichromatic standing-wave light field. The two light frequencies are tuned close to the D1{D}_{1}D1​ and D2{D}_{2}D2​ lines of 85Rb.{}^{85}\mathrm{Rb}.85Rb. The total optical potential seen by the atoms exhibits a modulation at the spatial beat period of the two light fields in addition to the typical periodicity on the scale of an optical wavelength. The bichromatic light field cools the atoms into the superlattice potential, resulting in a density modulation on a macroscopic scale. We have observed the density modulation directly in one- and three-dimensional superlattice configurations using an absorption imaging technique.
A small number of atoms that are confined to dimensions on the order of an optical wavelength are expected to exhibit novel collective behavior, including superradiance, subradiance, and unusual photon statistics and spatial correlations. We have identified a technique by which such a wavelength-sized atomic point sample may be realized in the laboratory. Atoms that are strongly confined in an optical dipole-force potential may be laser-cooled via stimulated and spontaneous Raman transitions between ground state atomic sublevels. Because the ac Stark shift of the two lower state sublevels is the same, the atoms may be cooled and trapped simultaneously. Also, interatomic radiation pressure and collisional effects can be kept to a minimum in a dipole force trap. We are currently pursuing such experiments using laser-cooled Rb atoms. We have successfully loaded laser-cooled Rb into a dipole force trap and have also driven the stimulated Raman transitions between the Rb ground state sublevels. We will report on our experimental progress and discuss their application to fundamental investigations in quantum optics.
Scope and Method of Study: The purpose of this research was to use laser cooling techniques to cool a sample of rubidium 87 atoms and pulse the cold atoms with an off-resonant standing wave of light. Among the objectives of the study was to understand the parameters needed to place the cold atoms in a quantum accelerator mode and to compare with experiments performed with cesium 133 atoms. A vacuum system and optical system were designed and built to produce a sample of laser cooled rubidium 87 atoms.