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

Physical Review Letters

Coherent Manipulation of Atomic Wave Packets by Adiabatic Transfer

S. A. Kulin, Bruno Saubaméa, E. Peik, John Lawall, Tom W. Hijmans, Michèle Leduc, Claude N. Cohen-Tannoudji

Published Jun 2, 1997• 51 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We use laser induced adiabatic passage to coherently manipulate the atomic wave packets resulting from subrecoil laser cooling in one, two, and three dimensions by velocity selective coherent population trapping. Using metastable helium atoms, we demonstrate adiabatic transfer into a single wave packet or into two coherent wave packets, while retaining the subrecoil momentum dispersion of the initial wave packets. The efficiency of the transfer is nearly perfect in one and two dimensions, and of the order of 75% in three dimensions. To a large extent, the direction of the momentum and the internal state of the atoms described by each of the final wave packets can be chosen at will.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.78.4185

Related papers

Coherent Trapping Subrecoil Cooling in Two Dimensions Aided by a Force

Francesco Mauri, E. Arimondo

Two-dimensional laser cooling based on velocity-selective coherent population trapping is investigated theoretically for the J = 1 ↔ J = 1 atomic transition. Wave vectors and polarizations of three laser beams are chosen to realize a coherent superposition of three degenerate ground states. For the first time forces related to Doppler and interference effects are combined with coherent population trapping to realize a very efficient cooling. Numerical solutions are presented for laser cooling of helium atoms.

Europhysics Letters (EPL)•Oct 21, 1991•29 citations

Subrecoil Laser Cooling with Adiabatic Transfer

Tilman Esslinger, F. Sander, Matthias Weidemüller +2 more

We demonstrate subrecoil cooling of rubidium atoms by velocity-selective coherent population trapping. By adiabatic transfer of the cooled atoms into a spin polarized single momentum state we show the coherence of the trapped state. Our cooling scheme takes advantage of the rubidium hyperfine structure to integrate subrecoil and sub-Doppler cooling. Starting from an initial velocity distribution of twice the recoil temperature $[{T}_{\mathrm{rec}}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}(\ensuremath{\Elzxh}k{)}^{2}{/k}_{B}M]$, we cool down to 100 nK $(\ensuremath{\approx}\frac{1}{3}{T}_{\mathrm{rec}})$ within 1 ms, while almost completely suppressing the diffusive heating of velocity-selective coherent population trapping.

Physical Review Letters•Apr 1, 1996•56 citations

Three-Dimensional Laser Cooling of Helium Beyond the Single-Photon Recoil Limit

John Lawall, S. A. Kulin, Bruno Saubaméa +3 more

We report the first observation of subrecoil laser cooling in three dimensions, where we use the method of velocity-selective coherent population trapping. We have cooled a cloud of trapped metastable helium atoms to 180 nK, 22 times below the single-photon recoil temperature, with an enhancement in the momentum-space density of 16. We find that the efficiency with which the velocity-selective trap is populated can be augmented by Sisyphus-type frictional forces, while the cooling process is accompanied by the diffusion of atoms to states of very high velocity.

Physical Review Letters•Dec 4, 1995•120 citations

Two-Dimensional Subrecoil Laser Cooling

John Lawall, F. Bardou, Bruno Saubaméa +4 more

We report the first observation of subrecoil laser cooling in two dimensions by velocity selective coherent population trapping. We have compressed the momentum distribution of a cloud of trapped metastable helium atoms along two orthogonal axes to $\ensuremath{\delta}p=\frac{\ensuremath{\hbar}k}{4}$, where $\ensuremath{\hbar}k$ is the photon momentum. The corresponding temperature, 16 times below the single-photon recoil temperature, is 250 nK. Atoms are pumped into a nonabsorbing state exhibiting four well-resolved momentum peaks with subrecoil widths. The momentum space density in the peaks is significantly greater than that in the uncooled distribution.

Physical Review Letters•Oct 3, 1994•113 citations

Coherent momentum transfer in helium by adiabatic passage

John Lawall, Mara Goff Prentiss

We have demonstrated a coherent beam splitter for metastable helium based on adiabatic passage. Light from a homemade LNA laser at 1.083 {mu} is used to excite the {sup 3}S{sub 1}-{sup 3}P{sub 0} transition in a highly collimated beam of metastable helium. The atoms are first optically pumped into the m=0 and m=-1 sublevels. These sublevels are two independent {open_quotes}dark{close_quotes} states from which no further absorption is possible. Population is transferred adiabatically from the m = -1 level to the m =+1 level by means of two partially overlapping laser beams. As well as absorbing 2{h_bar} of angular momentum from the radiation field, the atoms initially in the m = -1 sublevel acquire 2{h_bar}k of linear momentum via an absorption/stimulated emission process. The process can be repeated back to m = -1, and we have demonstrated 4{h_bar}k and 6{h_bar}k coherent momentum transfer using successive interactions regions. The population initially in the m = 0 sublevel is undeflected by the light.

Bulletin of the American Physical Society•May 1, 1993•0 citations

Experimental demonstration of population inversion driven by retroreflection-induced bichromatic adiabatic passage

A. Peralta Conde, Леонід Петрович Яценко, Jens Klein +2 more

We present experimental data to demonstrate coherently driven population inversion by retroreflection-induced bichromatic adiabatic passage in metastable helium atoms. Complete and robust population transfer from an initial to a target state is induced by coherent interaction of the atoms in a supersonic beam with two counterpropagating and temporally delayed laser pulses of different intensities. The radiation fields intersect the atomic beam slightly tilted away from normal incidence, thereby inducing Doppler shifts of the atomic resonance between the initial and the target state. Thus the laser pulses produce a bichromatic field in the rest frame of each atom, which induces complete coherent population transfer by an adiabatic passage process.

Physical Review A•Nov 9, 2005•10 citations
We use laser induced adiabatic passage to coherently manipulate the atomic wave packets resulting from subrecoil laser cooling in one, two, and three dimensions by velocity selective coherent population trapping. Using metastable helium atoms, we demonstrate adiabatic transfer into a single wave packet or into two coherent wave packets, while retaining the subrecoil momentum dispersion of the initial wave packets. The efficiency of the transfer is nearly perfect in one and two dimensions, and of the order of 75% in three dimensions. To a large extent, the direction of the momentum and the internal state of the atoms described by each of the final wave packets can be chosen at will.
Two-dimensional laser cooling based on velocity-selective coherent population trapping is investigated theoretically for the J = 1 ↔ J = 1 atomic transition. Wave vectors and polarizations of three laser beams are chosen to realize a coherent superposition of three degenerate ground states. For the first time forces related to Doppler and interference effects are combined with coherent population trapping to realize a very efficient cooling. Numerical solutions are presented for laser cooling of helium atoms.
We demonstrate subrecoil cooling of rubidium atoms by velocity-selective coherent population trapping. By adiabatic transfer of the cooled atoms into a spin polarized single momentum state we show the coherence of the trapped state. Our cooling scheme takes advantage of the rubidium hyperfine structure to integrate subrecoil and sub-Doppler cooling. Starting from an initial velocity distribution of twice the recoil temperature $[{T}_{\mathrm{rec}}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}(\ensuremath{\Elzxh}k{)}^{2}{/k}_{B}M]$, we cool down to 100 nK $(\ensuremath{\approx}\frac{1}{3}{T}_{\mathrm{rec}})$ within 1 ms, while almost completely suppressing the diffusive heating of velocity-selective coherent population trapping.
We report the first observation of subrecoil laser cooling in three dimensions, where we use the method of velocity-selective coherent population trapping. We have cooled a cloud of trapped metastable helium atoms to 180 nK, 22 times below the single-photon recoil temperature, with an enhancement in the momentum-space density of 16. We find that the efficiency with which the velocity-selective trap is populated can be augmented by Sisyphus-type frictional forces, while the cooling process is accompanied by the diffusion of atoms to states of very high velocity.
We report the first observation of subrecoil laser cooling in two dimensions by velocity selective coherent population trapping. We have compressed the momentum distribution of a cloud of trapped metastable helium atoms along two orthogonal axes to $\ensuremath{\delta}p=\frac{\ensuremath{\hbar}k}{4}$, where $\ensuremath{\hbar}k$ is the photon momentum. The corresponding temperature, 16 times below the single-photon recoil temperature, is 250 nK. Atoms are pumped into a nonabsorbing state exhibiting four well-resolved momentum peaks with subrecoil widths. The momentum space density in the peaks is significantly greater than that in the uncooled distribution.
We have demonstrated a coherent beam splitter for metastable helium based on adiabatic passage. Light from a homemade LNA laser at 1.083 {mu} is used to excite the {sup 3}S{sub 1}-{sup 3}P{sub 0} transition in a highly collimated beam of metastable helium. The atoms are first optically pumped into the m=0 and m=-1 sublevels. These sublevels are two independent {open_quotes}dark{close_quotes} states from which no further absorption is possible. Population is transferred adiabatically from the m = -1 level to the m =+1 level by means of two partially overlapping laser beams. As well as absorbing 2{h_bar} of angular momentum from the radiation field, the atoms initially in the m = -1 sublevel acquire 2{h_bar}k of linear momentum via an absorption/stimulated emission process. The process can be repeated back to m = -1, and we have demonstrated 4{h_bar}k and 6{h_bar}k coherent momentum transfer using successive interactions regions. The population initially in the m = 0 sublevel is undeflected by the light.
We present experimental data to demonstrate coherently driven population inversion by retroreflection-induced bichromatic adiabatic passage in metastable helium atoms. Complete and robust population transfer from an initial to a target state is induced by coherent interaction of the atoms in a supersonic beam with two counterpropagating and temporally delayed laser pulses of different intensities. The radiation fields intersect the atomic beam slightly tilted away from normal incidence, thereby inducing Doppler shifts of the atomic resonance between the initial and the target state. Thus the laser pulses produce a bichromatic field in the rest frame of each atom, which induces complete coherent population transfer by an adiabatic passage process.