A theoretical study of optical detection methods for ultracold atoms in optical lattices

Manpreet Singh

Jinwu Ye, Jiangming Zhang, Wu‐Ming Liu +4 more

Thomas Middelmann, Stephan Falke, Christian Lisdat +1 more

We present a novel method for transporting ultracold atoms in a focused optical lattice over macroscopic distances of many Rayleigh ranges. With this method ultracold atoms were transported over 5 cm in 250 ms without significant atom loss or heating. By translating the interference pattern together with the beam geometry, the trap parameters are maintained over the full transport range. Thus, the presented method is well suited for tightly focused optical lattices that have sufficient trap depth only close to the focus. Tight focusing is usually required for far-detuned optical traps or traps that require high laser intensity for other reasons. The transport time is short and thus compatible with the operation of an optical lattice clock in which atoms are probed in a well-designed environment spatially separated from the preparation and detection region.

Guido Pupillo, Eite Tiesinga, Carl J. Williams

Martin Shotter

A measurement technique is described that has the potential to map the atomic site occupancies of ultracold atoms in a short-period three-dimensional optical lattice. The method uses accordion and pinning lattices, together with polarization gradient cooling and fluorescence detection, to measure the positions of individual atoms within the sample in three dimensions at a resolution of around half the atomic resonant wavelength. The method measures the site occupancy, rather than the parity of the site occupancy, of atoms in the lattice. It is expected that such measurements hold significant potential for the study of ultracold quantum dynamics.

Immanuel Bloch