Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

New Journal of Physics

Quantum atom optics with Bose-Einstein condensates

Klaus Mølmer

Published May 30, 2003• 21 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The formal equivalence between bosonic atoms and photons, and the rich possibilities for manipulation of atomic states, has led to numerous proposals for generation of atomic states with properties similar to the ones of the non-classical states of light, e.g. squeezed states and Schrodinger cat states. We present a number of research directions for quantum optics in which atoms seize or have already seized the role of the photons.

DOI
10.1088/1367-2630/5/1/355

Related papers

Bose‐Einstein condensates as incubators of nonlinear and quantum optics

E. Arimondo

Abstract The equivalence between bosonic atoms and photons, and the large freedom in the manipulation of the atomic waves, has produced a large interest into the generation of atomic configurations with properties similar to those of the photon waves generated through nonlinear or quantum optics. Experiments performed on a rubidium Bose‐Einstein condensate within an optical lattice are analyzed within the framework of the connection between optics of photon and atom waves.

Fortschritte der Physik•Oct 11, 2004•0 citations

Atom Optics with Cold Bosons

Vyacheslav I. Yukalov, Elizaveta P. Yukalova

Abstract Trapped bosonic atoms can be cooled down to temperatures where the atomic cloud experiences Bose–Einstein condensation. Almost all atoms in a dilute gaseous system can be Bose-condensed, which implies that this system is in a coherent state. The coherent atomic system enjoys many properties typical of coherent optical systems. It is possible to generate different condensate coherent modes similarly to the generation of optical modes. Several effects can be observed, such as interference patterns, interference current, Rabi oscillations, harmonic generation, parametric conversion, Ramsey fringes, mode locking, dynamic transition between Rabi and Josephson regimes, and atomic squeezing.

arXiv:2406.17868•Bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences Physics•Jun 1, 2024•0 citations

Nonclassical Matter Wave Sources

Pierre Meystre, Poul Jessen

The general goal of our research is the generation, manipulation, and characterization of coherent and nonclassical matter-wave sources. The research has both a theoretical and an experimental component. Theoretical achievements include the use of nonlinear atom optical techniques to generate beams of entangled atoms and squeezed atomic beams from Bose-Einstein condensates, as well as the generation of entangled atom-photon pairs, the extension of the ideas bosonic atom optics to the nonlinear atom optics to fermionic atoms and to boson-fermion mixtures. We have also started to analyze how the combination of these developments can be applied to the realization and manipulation of molecular fields of tailored quantum statistics. On the experimental side we have worked with Cs atoms in optical lattices to implement qubits, quantum gates and circuits. We have demonstrated trapping in deep 3D lattices initialization by sideband cooling and single-qubit control. In a second project we have used optical probes to implement continuous weak measurements of collective observables in an atomic ensemble. We have developed a detailed understanding of Faraday measurements of atomic spins, and a novel scheme to probe the pseudospin associated with the atomic clock transition.

•Oct 21, 2004•0 citations

Quantum atom optics with trapped Bose-Einstein condensates

M. K. Olsen

Both Bose-Einstein condensates and optical fields are composed of bosons, so that the majority of the processes which have long been studied in quantum and nonlinear optics have equivalents in the field of Bose-Einsten condensation. However, due to the masses of the condensed atoms, the confining potentials and the huge collisional nonlinearities, the simpler theoretical approaches common to quantum optics can sometimes give misleading answers when applied to condensates. In this work we describe some of the areas where simplified treatments can be misleading, and compare and contrast the predictions of quantum many-body treatments with those of the single-mode type treatments which have been so successful in quantum optics.

Brazilian Journal of Physics•Dec 1, 2004•2 citations

Rapid Generation of a Macroscopic Schrödinger Cat State of Atoms with Parity-Independent Orientation

Li, Jinyang, Gregório R. M. da Silva, Schuyler Kain +1 more

We show that using the process of one-axis-twist squeezing in an echo configuration, it is possible to control the orientation of the macroscopic magnetic moment of a large number of atoms by manipulating the quantum state of a single atom that is physically isolated from the ensemble. With this control technique, it is also possible to entangle an ensemble with a single atom deterministically, which mimics the thought experiment known as the Schrödinger cat. In addition, this technique would make it possible to generate a mesoscopic Schrödinger cat state for a large number of atoms far more rapidly that the conventional process for generating such a state, with an orientation that is independent of the parity of the number of atoms. Apart from the echo configuration, we have also investigated the behavior of one-axis-twist squeezing for some special values of the squeezing parameter. We find that the squeezing propagator can be expressed as the sum of n rotation operators if the product of n and the squeezing parameter equals pi, where n is a non-zero integer. A direct consequence of this property of one-axis-twist squeezing is that there is a hidden order in a squeezed state generated under this condition even if its Husimi quasi-probability distribution looks irregular.

arXiv:2210.15115•Oct 27, 2022•0 citations

Quantum atom optics with bosons and fermions

Alain Aspect, Denis Boiron, Christoph Ira Westbrook

Atom optics, a field which takes much inspiration from traditional optics, has advanced to the point that some of the fundamental experiments of quantum optics, involving photon correlations, have found atomic analogs. We discuss some recent experiments on atom bunching and anti-bunching as well as some prospects for extending them to the field of many body physics.

arXiv:0803.2828•Europhysics news•Jan 1, 2008•4 citations
The formal equivalence between bosonic atoms and photons, and the rich possibilities for manipulation of atomic states, has led to numerous proposals for generation of atomic states with properties similar to the ones of the non-classical states of light, e.g. squeezed states and Schrodinger cat states. We present a number of research directions for quantum optics in which atoms seize or have already seized the role of the photons.
Abstract Trapped bosonic atoms can be cooled down to temperatures where the atomic cloud experiences Bose–Einstein condensation. Almost all atoms in a dilute gaseous system can be Bose-condensed, which implies that this system is in a coherent state. The coherent atomic system enjoys many properties typical of coherent optical systems. It is possible to generate different condensate coherent modes similarly to the generation of optical modes. Several effects can be observed, such as interference patterns, interference current, Rabi oscillations, harmonic generation, parametric conversion, Ramsey fringes, mode locking, dynamic transition between Rabi and Josephson regimes, and atomic squeezing.
The general goal of our research is the generation, manipulation, and characterization of coherent and nonclassical matter-wave sources. The research has both a theoretical and an experimental component. Theoretical achievements include the use of nonlinear atom optical techniques to generate beams of entangled atoms and squeezed atomic beams from Bose-Einstein condensates, as well as the generation of entangled atom-photon pairs, the extension of the ideas bosonic atom optics to the nonlinear atom optics to fermionic atoms and to boson-fermion mixtures. We have also started to analyze how the combination of these developments can be applied to the realization and manipulation of molecular fields of tailored quantum statistics. On the experimental side we have worked with Cs atoms in optical lattices to implement qubits, quantum gates and circuits. We have demonstrated trapping in deep 3D lattices initialization by sideband cooling and single-qubit control. In a second project we have used optical probes to implement continuous weak measurements of collective observables in an atomic ensemble. We have developed a detailed understanding of Faraday measurements of atomic spins, and a novel scheme to probe the pseudospin associated with the atomic clock transition.
Both Bose-Einstein condensates and optical fields are composed of bosons, so that the majority of the processes which have long been studied in quantum and nonlinear optics have equivalents in the field of Bose-Einsten condensation. However, due to the masses of the condensed atoms, the confining potentials and the huge collisional nonlinearities, the simpler theoretical approaches common to quantum optics can sometimes give misleading answers when applied to condensates. In this work we describe some of the areas where simplified treatments can be misleading, and compare and contrast the predictions of quantum many-body treatments with those of the single-mode type treatments which have been so successful in quantum optics.
We show that using the process of one-axis-twist squeezing in an echo configuration, it is possible to control the orientation of the macroscopic magnetic moment of a large number of atoms by manipulating the quantum state of a single atom that is physically isolated from the ensemble. With this control technique, it is also possible to entangle an ensemble with a single atom deterministically, which mimics the thought experiment known as the Schrödinger cat. In addition, this technique would make it possible to generate a mesoscopic Schrödinger cat state for a large number of atoms far more rapidly that the conventional process for generating such a state, with an orientation that is independent of the parity of the number of atoms. Apart from the echo configuration, we have also investigated the behavior of one-axis-twist squeezing for some special values of the squeezing parameter. We find that the squeezing propagator can be expressed as the sum of n rotation operators if the product of n and the squeezing parameter equals pi, where n is a non-zero integer. A direct consequence of this property of one-axis-twist squeezing is that there is a hidden order in a squeezed state generated under this condition even if its Husimi quasi-probability distribution looks irregular.