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Physical Review Letters

Fluorescence Investigation of Parametrically Excited Motional Wave Packets in Optical Lattices

Paul Rudy, Renato Ejnisman, N. P. Bigelow

Published Jun 30, 1997• 71 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We have used parametric excitation and time resolved fluorescence detection to investigate the coherent control of center-of-mass wave packets for atoms confined in an optical lattice. We have demonstrated the ability to manipulate the atomic wave packet motion using temporal variations of the lattice potential, and our results are in excellent agreement with a single atom model based on a solution of the Heisenberg equations of motion.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.78.4906

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We have used parametric excitation and time resolved fluorescence detection to investigate the coherent control of center-of-mass wave packets for atoms confined in an optical lattice. We have demonstrated the ability to manipulate the atomic wave packet motion using temporal variations of the lattice potential, and our results are in excellent agreement with a single atom model based on a solution of the Heisenberg equations of motion.
Optical lattices are periodic light shift potentials that are created by the interference of several laser beams. In this dissertation I investigate the motion of atoms in such potentials. The center-of-mass wave-packet motion is initiated by an application of a sudden shift to the lattice potentials. The resulting oscillations are observed using a photon redistribution technique. We first show that by utilizing a real-time feedback loop and shifting the lattice continuously in response to the wave-packet motion, we can increase, alter or damp this motion using different gains of the feedback loop. We further show that by splitting the wave-packet between two adiabatic potentials of the lattice via quantum projection, we can construct an atom interferometer. We observe interference signal when the two components of the original wave-packet overlap. The behavior of the interference is studied as a function of lattice parameters and a consistent theoretical picture is developed. Further, we study how well-to-well tunneling of atoms and sloshing-type wave-pocket dynamics affect each other. We find that in the regions where the well-to-well tunneling is significant, the sloshing type wave-packet oscillations are suppressed. Sloshing-type motion only occurs if the tunneling is sufficiently suppressed with an applied magnetic field. Finally we describe a new type of optical lattice that is based on two-photon Raman transitions. The basic period of this lattice is reduced by a factor of two, compared with traditional lattices. We also show that Sub-Doppler cooling mechanism is present in this lattice. The dissertation is concluded with the presentation of a new experimental set-up for Bose-Einstein Condensate production, which may in the future be used for the study of BEC dynamics in optical lattices.
Using Bragg scattering we study classical squeezing and wave packet oscillations of the atomic center-of-mass motion of cesium atoms trapped in 1D and 3D optical lattices. A sudden increase of the potential depth leads to wave packets substantially more localized than in steady state, and subsequent breathing-mode oscillations with a decay rate that under some conditions is remarkably slow. We also study the response of the atoms to parametric driving of the center-of-mass motion. Our results are in agreement with Monte Carlo simulations.
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We present a study of the time evolution of wave packets excited in optical lattices. Our model shows that, after a sudden change of the potential well depth, a breathing oscillation is created, in agreement with recently performed experiments. We predict that this motional wave packet should subsequently collapse and revive, with a rich intermediate structure comprised of fractional revivals. Moreover, we estimate the rate of damping of the oscillations due to the interaction of the atoms with light and other experimental constraints.
Within the combined potential of an optical lattice and a harmonic magnetic trap, it is possible to form matter wave packets by intensity modulation of the lattice. An analysis of the production and motion of these wave packets provides a detailed understanding of the dynamical evolution of the system. The modulation technique also allows for a controllable transfer (deexcitation) of atoms from such wave packets to a state bound by the lattice. Thus, it acts as a beam splitter for matter waves that can selectively address different bands, enabling the preparation of atoms in localized states. The combination of wave packet creation and deexcitation closely resembles the well-known method of pump-probe spectroscopy. Here, we use the deexcitation for spectroscopy of the anharmonicity of the combined potential. Finally, we demonstrate that lattice modulation can be used to excite matter wave packets to even higher momenta, producing fast wave packets with potential applications in precision measurements.