Atomic beam deflection in a quantum field

H. Theuer, Klaas Bergmann

Dave Townsend, A L Goodgame, Simon R. Procter +2 more

The controlled deflection of Rydberg atoms in an inhomogeneous electric field is demonstrated and shown to be in agreement with predictions based on a well-defined Stark map. Krypton atoms in a supersonic beam are excited in a two-colour multiphoton process to selected Stark states with n = 16-19 and undergo deflections in the field of an electrostatic dipole. The spatial distribution of the deflected atoms is monitored by ion imaging. The atoms travelling ~10 cm in the beam direction after excitation are deflected from the beam axis by distances of up to 3 mm, the interaction with the field taking place over 40 µs. Simulations of the trajectories agree well with the experimental results, demonstrating that the detected Rydberg atoms are those which have not undergone decay processes in the 40 µs applied field.

Marvin H. Mittleman

R. Ohmukai, Shinji Urabe, Masayoshi Watanabe

An atomic beam has been collimated, compressed, and deflected simultaneously by an atomic beam guide based on an tilted one-dimensional magneto-optical trap. Isotope-selected rubidium atoms were extracted from the naturally-mixed thermal atomic beam. We could extract more than 50% of the incident atoms as a deflection beam when we combined this deflection technique with the atomic deceleration using a broadband spectral light. We could manipulate the transverse displacement of the deflected beam precisely by modifying the quadrupole magnetic field. We also observed the well-collimated atomic beam to be channeled into the dipole force potential valleys formed by the standing wave light field.

Marvin H. Mittleman

Benno H. W. Hendriks, Gerard Nienhuis

The authors study the effect of level degeneracy and of the polarisation of the driving field on the correlated evolution of the translational states and of the number of fluorescent photons for atoms in a monochromatic radiation field. The evolution equations are formally solved for the case of deflection of an atomic beam by a laser beam. They give explicit solutions for the distribution of deflection angles in several special cases.