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

International Conference on Laser and Fiber-Optical Networks Modeling

Atomic soliton lasers and potential applications

Humberto Michinel, María Martínez Valado, Alicia V. Carpentier

Published Sep 1, 2011• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Atomic soliton lasers are coherent matter-wave emitters that produce localized pulses of atoms that are extracted from an ultracold atomic reservoir. In adequate conditions it is possible to obtain matter-wave soliton trains that propagate undistorted, a property that makes them very useful for ultra-sensitive measurements like gravity-waves detection or atomic interferometry. Some new applications and results will we presented.

DOI
10.1109/lfnm.2011.6144979

Related papers

Formation of a Matter-Wave Bright Soliton

Lev Khaykovich, Florian Schreck, G. Ferrari +5 more

We report the production of matter-wave solitons in an ultracold lithium-7 gas. The effective interaction between atoms in a Bose-Einstein condensate is tuned with a Feshbach resonance from repulsive to attractive before release in a one-dimensional optical waveguide. Propagation of the soliton without dispersion over a macroscopic distance of 1.1 millimeter is observed. A simple theoretical model explains the stability region of the soliton. These matter-wave solitons open possibilities for future applications in coherent atom optics, atom interferometry, and atom transport.

arXiv:cond-mat/0205378•Science•May 17, 2002•1,588 citations

Atom lasers: production, properties and prospects for precision inertial measurement

Nicholas P. Robins, P. A. Altin, J. E. Debs +1 more

We review experimental progress on atom lasers out-coupled from Bose-Einstein condensates, and consider the prop-erties of such beams in the context of precision inertial sensing. The atom laser is the matter-wave analog of the optical laser. Both devices rely on Bose-enhanced scattering to produce a macroscopically populated trapped mode that is output-coupled to produce an intense beam. In both cases, the beams often display highly desirable properties such as low divergence, high spectral flux and a simple spatial mode that make them useful in practical applications, as well as the potential to perform measurements at or below the quantum projection noise limit. Both devices display similar second-order correlations that differ from thermal sources. Because of these properties, atom lasers are a promising source for application to precision inertial measurements.

•Aug 17, 2016•90 citations

Atom optics: matter and waves in harmony

W. L. Power

Our ability to manipulate the coherence properties of light has been at the heart of many of the most important scientific and technological innovations of this century. There can hardly be a home in this country that does not possess a laser in the form of a compact disc player or a CDROM. When we talk on the phone, or send messages on the Internet, there is a high probability that our message will be encoded by a laser into pulses of light to be passed through optical fibres. In the last few years physicists have been discovering that it is possible to control the coherence properties of atoms, and are now developing tools analogous to those which have been developed to take advantage of the coherence properties of light. In the next decade we can look forward to seeing the application of lasers, fibres, mirrors and waveguides for atoms. Already we have been able to construct interferometry experiments using beams of atoms and these have proved to be extremely sensitive measurement devices, allowing us to test physical theories and measure fundamental constants to a level of precision not previously possible. Will these developing technologies ever be as ubiquitous as their optical forebears? In this paper we discuss the anticipated uses of this technology for both fundamental science and industrial applications. Starting from an explanation of the meaning of coherence and a comparison of the properties of photons and atoms, we describe the development of the science of atom optics. The tortuous route towards the great achievement of producing a Bose–Einstein condensate is described, and we explain why this is the most important step towards a laser–like source of atoms. Numerous other optical elements for atoms have been built or are on the drawing board, and we describe how these may be used to manipulate atoms with a precision that has never before been achieved, and look ahead to what we can learn about physics using these tools and at how they can be put to practical use.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences•Jan 15, 2000•2 citations

Non-linear atom optics with bright matter wave soliton trains

Vanessa Y. F. Leung, Andrew G. Truscott, K. G. H. Baldwin

The results of one experiment (Strecker et. al.), is numerically simulated to demonstrate that a mean-field approach is capable of describing an attractive condensate in an area of nonlinear behavior such as soliton creation, and to investigate the soliton interactions by extending the experimental parameters. In the experiment being studied, the released BEC formed a train of multiple solitons which oscillated collectively in a weak harmonic potential for many cycles, each soliton kept apart from its neighbor by the alternating phase structure of the ensemble. This result suggests the possibility of designing a series of self-focussing, phase-engineered coherent matter pulses as the basis of future experiments in non-linear atom optics. Experimentally, a quasi-1D condensate was formed in a box-like potential with significantly tighter confinement in the transverse than the axial dimension. Manipulation of a Feshbach resonance rapidly tuned the scattering length of the atoms from positive to negative, resulting in a condensate which became attractive at, or shortly after, its release. Most of the unconfined atoms were ejected in a burst, leaving behind a small proportion of remnant atoms as solitons. These were allowed to evolve as they propagated along the axial potential of a far red-detuned laser field for a short time before being imaged.

European Quantum Electronics Conference (EQEC)•Jan 1, 2003•0 citations

Atom Interferometry and Inertial Sensors

Philippe Bouyer

Atomic quantum sensors are a major breakthrough in the technology of time and frequency standards as well as ultra-precise sensing and monitoring of accelerations and rotations. They apply a new kind of optics based on matter waves. Today, atomic clocks are the standard for time and frequency measurement at the highest precisions. Inertial and rotational sensors using atom interferometers have already shown similar potential for replacing state-of-the-art sensors in other fields. With Bose-Einstein condensates, also refered as atom lasers, the traditional experiments with atom interferometers can be greatly improved. Testing of fundamental principles, studies of atomic properties, applications as inertial sensors, and measurements of fundamental constants can benefit from the brightness (intensity and small momentum spread) of these coherent sources. In addition, the coherence properties of condensates may also allow BEC based atom interferometers to approach the Heisenberg detection limit. This corresponds to a measurement precision which scales like 1/N for N atoms and not like 1 / N as for independent measurements on N atoms.

Frontiers in Optics•Jan 1, 2007•0 citations

Nonlinear atom optics with bright matter-wave soliton trains

Vanessa Y. F. Leung, Andrew G. Truscott, K. G. H. Baldwin

Bright-soliton train creation and evolution in a Bose-Einstein condensate is simulated numerically using the experimental conditions of K. E. Strecker et al. [Nature 417, 150 (2002)] as a starting point. We identify the controlling factors that dictate soliton number, phase imprinting, and stability. Reliable production of multiple phase-engineered condensed-matter pulses can have practical applications to future nonlinear atom optics experiments, which we illustrate with an example of colinear scattering between repulsive solitons.

Physical Review A•Dec 31, 2002•26 citations
Atomic soliton lasers are coherent matter-wave emitters that produce localized pulses of atoms that are extracted from an ultracold atomic reservoir. In adequate conditions it is possible to obtain matter-wave soliton trains that propagate undistorted, a property that makes them very useful for ultra-sensitive measurements like gravity-waves detection or atomic interferometry. Some new applications and results will we presented.
We report the production of matter-wave solitons in an ultracold lithium-7 gas. The effective interaction between atoms in a Bose-Einstein condensate is tuned with a Feshbach resonance from repulsive to attractive before release in a one-dimensional optical waveguide. Propagation of the soliton without dispersion over a macroscopic distance of 1.1 millimeter is observed. A simple theoretical model explains the stability region of the soliton. These matter-wave solitons open possibilities for future applications in coherent atom optics, atom interferometry, and atom transport.
We review experimental progress on atom lasers out-coupled from Bose-Einstein condensates, and consider the prop-erties of such beams in the context of precision inertial sensing. The atom laser is the matter-wave analog of the optical laser. Both devices rely on Bose-enhanced scattering to produce a macroscopically populated trapped mode that is output-coupled to produce an intense beam. In both cases, the beams often display highly desirable properties such as low divergence, high spectral flux and a simple spatial mode that make them useful in practical applications, as well as the potential to perform measurements at or below the quantum projection noise limit. Both devices display similar second-order correlations that differ from thermal sources. Because of these properties, atom lasers are a promising source for application to precision inertial measurements.
Our ability to manipulate the coherence properties of light has been at the heart of many of the most important scientific and technological innovations of this century. There can hardly be a home in this country that does not possess a laser in the form of a compact disc player or a CDROM. When we talk on the phone, or send messages on the Internet, there is a high probability that our message will be encoded by a laser into pulses of light to be passed through optical fibres. In the last few years physicists have been discovering that it is possible to control the coherence properties of atoms, and are now developing tools analogous to those which have been developed to take advantage of the coherence properties of light. In the next decade we can look forward to seeing the application of lasers, fibres, mirrors and waveguides for atoms. Already we have been able to construct interferometry experiments using beams of atoms and these have proved to be extremely sensitive measurement devices, allowing us to test physical theories and measure fundamental constants to a level of precision not previously possible. Will these developing technologies ever be as ubiquitous as their optical forebears? In this paper we discuss the anticipated uses of this technology for both fundamental science and industrial applications. Starting from an explanation of the meaning of coherence and a comparison of the properties of photons and atoms, we describe the development of the science of atom optics. The tortuous route towards the great achievement of producing a Bose–Einstein condensate is described, and we explain why this is the most important step towards a laser–like source of atoms. Numerous other optical elements for atoms have been built or are on the drawing board, and we describe how these may be used to manipulate atoms with a precision that has never before been achieved, and look ahead to what we can learn about physics using these tools and at how they can be put to practical use.
The results of one experiment (Strecker et. al.), is numerically simulated to demonstrate that a mean-field approach is capable of describing an attractive condensate in an area of nonlinear behavior such as soliton creation, and to investigate the soliton interactions by extending the experimental parameters. In the experiment being studied, the released BEC formed a train of multiple solitons which oscillated collectively in a weak harmonic potential for many cycles, each soliton kept apart from its neighbor by the alternating phase structure of the ensemble. This result suggests the possibility of designing a series of self-focussing, phase-engineered coherent matter pulses as the basis of future experiments in non-linear atom optics. Experimentally, a quasi-1D condensate was formed in a box-like potential with significantly tighter confinement in the transverse than the axial dimension. Manipulation of a Feshbach resonance rapidly tuned the scattering length of the atoms from positive to negative, resulting in a condensate which became attractive at, or shortly after, its release. Most of the unconfined atoms were ejected in a burst, leaving behind a small proportion of remnant atoms as solitons. These were allowed to evolve as they propagated along the axial potential of a far red-detuned laser field for a short time before being imaged.
Atomic quantum sensors are a major breakthrough in the technology of time and frequency standards as well as ultra-precise sensing and monitoring of accelerations and rotations. They apply a new kind of optics based on matter waves. Today, atomic clocks are the standard for time and frequency measurement at the highest precisions. Inertial and rotational sensors using atom interferometers have already shown similar potential for replacing state-of-the-art sensors in other fields. With Bose-Einstein condensates, also refered as atom lasers, the traditional experiments with atom interferometers can be greatly improved. Testing of fundamental principles, studies of atomic properties, applications as inertial sensors, and measurements of fundamental constants can benefit from the brightness (intensity and small momentum spread) of these coherent sources. In addition, the coherence properties of condensates may also allow BEC based atom interferometers to approach the Heisenberg detection limit. This corresponds to a measurement precision which scales like 1/N for N atoms and not like 1 / N as for independent measurements on N atoms.
Bright-soliton train creation and evolution in a Bose-Einstein condensate is simulated numerically using the experimental conditions of K. E. Strecker et al. [Nature 417, 150 (2002)] as a starting point. We identify the controlling factors that dictate soliton number, phase imprinting, and stability. Reliable production of multiple phase-engineered condensed-matter pulses can have practical applications to future nonlinear atom optics experiments, which we illustrate with an example of colinear scattering between repulsive solitons.