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Physical Review A

Coherent backscattering of light in atomic systems: Application to weak localization in an ensemble of cold alkali-metal atoms

Dmitriy V. Kupriyanov, Igor M. Sokolov, P. Kulatunga, Charles I. Sukenik, Mark D. Havey

Published Jan 30, 2003• 53 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Development of a theoretical treatment of multiple coherent light scattering in an ultracold atomic gas is reported. Specific application is made to coherent backscattering of a weak-radiation field from realistically modeled samples of ultracold atomic ${}^{85}\mathrm{Rb}.$ Comprehensive Monte Carlo simulations of the spatial, spectral, and polarization dependence of the backscattering line shape are made and compared with available experimental results.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.67.013814

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Journal of Modern Optics•Nov 10, 2005•26 citations
Development of a theoretical treatment of multiple coherent light scattering in an ultracold atomic gas is reported. Specific application is made to coherent backscattering of a weak-radiation field from realistically modeled samples of ultracold atomic 85Rb.{}^{85}\mathrm{Rb}.85Rb. Comprehensive Monte Carlo simulations of the spatial, spectral, and polarization dependence of the backscattering line shape are made and compared with available experimental results.
We report a combined theoretical and experimental study of the spectral and polarization dependence of near-resonant radiation coherently backscattered from an ultracold gas of 85Rb^{85}\mathrm{Rb}85Rb atoms. Measurements in a $\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}6\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\text{MHz}$ range about the $5s\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}^{2}S_{1∕2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}5p\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}^{2}P_{3∕2}$, $F=3\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{F}^{\ensuremath{'}}=4$ hyperfine transition are compared with simulations based on a realistic model of the experimental atomic density distribution. In the simulations, the influence of heating of the atoms in the vapor, magnetization of the vapor, finite spectral bandwidth, and other nonresonant hyperfine transitions are considered. Good agreement is found between the simulations and measurements.
This thesis reports on the experimental study of coherent radiative transport in an ultracold gas of 85Rb atoms confined in a magneto-optic trap. Measurements are made of the polarization dependence of the spatial and spectral profile of light backscattered from the sample. The results shows an interferometric enhancement sensitive to coherent multiple scattering in the atomic gas, and strong variations with the polarization of the incident and detected light. Effects due to coherent enhancement of weak non-resonant transitions are also observed. Comparison of the measurements with realistic quantum Monte Carlo simulations of Kupriyanov, et al [1] yield very good agreement.
We report experimental observations of polarization-dependent coherence loss occurring in strong-field multiple scattering of light in ultracold atomic 85Rb. A measure of coherence in multiple light scattering is the degree of contrast of the coherent backscattering enhancement from the vapour. For resonance saturation parameters up to 9, we see light-polarization-dependent modification of the backscattering enhancement, suggesting that inelastic atomic light scattering and dynamic atomic magnetization may play important roles in the multiple scattering process for 85Rb.