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AIP conference proceedings

Atomic beam splitters based on light

Charles S. Adams, Tilman Pfau, J. Mlynek

Published Jan 1, 1993• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

In this paper we review techniques to coherently split an atomic beam using the dipole force. We discuss the interaction of atoms with normal standing wave light field in the context of atomic beam splitters. The case where the atom enters the standing wave at a small angle such that Bragg diffraction and velocity selective resonances are observed is also considered. An alternative approach to realize a coherent beam splitter based on the optical Stern‐Gerlach effect is discussed. Finally we consider the interaction of atoms with a magneto‐optical potential formed by a polarization gradient light field and a static magnetic field. We show that the Stern‐Gerlach effect and the magneto‐optical potential produce a more effective beam splitting into states with high transverse momentum than diffraction from a normal standing wave.

DOI
10.1063/1.43798

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AIP conference proceedings•Jan 1, 1993•1 citation
In this paper we review techniques to coherently split an atomic beam using the dipole force. We discuss the interaction of atoms with normal standing wave light field in the context of atomic beam splitters. The case where the atom enters the standing wave at a small angle such that Bragg diffraction and velocity selective resonances are observed is also considered. An alternative approach to realize a coherent beam splitter based on the optical Stern‐Gerlach effect is discussed. Finally we consider the interaction of atoms with a magneto‐optical potential formed by a polarization gradient light field and a static magnetic field. We show that the Stern‐Gerlach effect and the magneto‐optical potential produce a more effective beam splitting into states with high transverse momentum than diffraction from a normal standing wave.
We report an experimental demonstration of diffraction of He∗{\mathrm{He}}^{\mathrm{*}}He∗ atoms from a magneto-optical grating. The grating was produced by the interaction of three-level atoms with a light field of spatially varying polarization and a magnetic field. For a light shift matched to the Zeeman shift, a two-peaked diffraction pattern was observed, corresponding to a momentum splitting of 42\ensuremath{\Elzxh}k. The effect of changing the polarizations of the light field was investigated. The diffraction from the magneto-optical grating is compared directly with the diffraction of two-level atoms from a standing light wave and it is shown, that the magneto-optical interaction leads to more efficient coupling into high order momentum states.
Two recent experiments demonstrating novel atomic lenses—one using a free standing Fresnel zone plate and the other using an optical standing wave with large (40 μm) period—will be discussed. In addition, an experiment demonstrating the splitting of an atomic beam by the optical Stern–Gerlach effect will be described. In this effect, a beam of (two-level) atoms is coherently split into two paths by an exactly resonant optical field gradient, each path containing atoms in one of the two dressed states. The field gradient was derived from a large period standing wave, produced by bouncing a laser beam from a glass surface at grazing incidence. The experiments were carried out with metastable He atoms interacting through the 23S1to 23P2 transition with an optical field at 1.083 μm. The interaction times were significantly less than the 23P natural lifetime of 100 ns, so spontaneous emission played no role during the interaction.
In this letter we present a theoretical study of the coherent diffraction of three-level atoms from a light field with a polarization gradient (counterpropagating crossed linearly polarized beams) and a static magnetic field applied parallel to the laser propagation direction. We show that for a particular ratio of the laser field intensity and the magnetic-field strength, there occurs a resonance between the Larmor precession of the magnetic alignment and the Rabi oscillations. On resonance the atomic wave function is diffracted by an approximately triangular optical potential which leads to a very efficient coherent splitting of the atomic beam. The proposed configuration is particularly interesting in relation to atom interferometry, when efficient coherent beam splitters for atoms are required.
We report the observation of the splitting of an atomic beam by the optical Stern-Gerlach effect. A beam of metastable He atoms interacts with a nearly or exactly resonant laser field with a well-defined intensity gradient perpendicular to the atomic beam. The coherent splitting of the atomic beam is produced in the case of exact resonance. For the nonresonant case, a deflection of the atomic beam is observed. We have studied the splitting and deflection of the atomic beam as a function of laser detuning from resonance. Our results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions.
Atomic beam splitter needs for the practical realization of nano-scale lithography by coherent scattering of the atoms. We consider the different types of atomic beam splitters, which could be used for the creation of the space structures with nano-scale period. We concentrate to a few main schemes of an interaction between an atom beam and optical radiation, which can produce a large angle splitting of atom beam into only two main momentum components: multi Bragg scattering an atom wave packet in standing wave; coherent splitting by scattering of an atom wave packet in standing wave with modulated intensity, when the intensity of the standing wave changes harmonically. We discuss also the experimental possibility of an atom selection in internal states for obtaining of space periodical structure with high clearance.
The key elements for atom interferometers are atomic beam splitters and recombiners. An atomic beam splitter separates a single atomic wave function into a superposition state corresponding to two center of mass wavepackets that propagate in different spatial directions and a recombiner reunites the atomic beams. We report here on the investigation of 1) an atomic beam splitter with large separation angle based on the optical Stern Gerlach effect, 2) an atomic mirror based on the reflection of atoms by different types of evanescent waves (a simple evanescent wave and a surface plasmon wave), 3) an atomic beam splitter realized by the partial spatial reflection of an atom by an evanescent wave and 4) diffraction of atoms by a standing evanescent wave.