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Bulletin of the American Physical Society

Free-space, multimode spatial self-organization of cold, thermal atoms

Bonnie L. Schmittberger, Joel A. Greenberg, Daniel J. Gauthier

Published Jun 6, 2012• 1 citation
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Spontaneous emergence of free-space optical and atomic patterns

Bonnie L. Schmittberger, Daniel J. Gauthier

The spontaneous formation of patterns in dynamical systems is a rich phenomenon that transcends scientific boundaries. Here, we report our observation of coupled optical–atomic pattern formation, which results in the creation of self-organized, multimode structures in free-space laser-driven cold atoms. We show that this process gives rise to spontaneous three-dimensional Sisyphus cooling even at very low light intensities and the emergence of self-organized structures on both sub- and super-wavelength scales.

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Multimode Atomic Pattern Formation via Enhanced Light-atom Interactions

Bonnie L. Schmittberger

The nonlinear interaction between light and atoms is an extensive field of study with a broad range of applications in quantum information science and condensed matter physics. Nonlinear optical phenomena occurring in cold atoms are particularly interesting because such slowly moving atoms can spatially organize into density gratings, which allows for studies involving optical interactions with structured materials. In this thesis, I describe a novel nonlinear optical effect that arises when cold atoms spatially bunch in an optical lattice. I show that employing this spatial atomic bunching provides access to a unique physical regime with reduced thresholds for nonlinear optical processes and enhanced material properties. Using this method, I observe the nonlinear optical phenomenon of transverse optical pattern formation at record-low powers. These transverse optical patterns are generated by a wave- mixing process that is mediated by the cold atomic vapor. The optical patterns are highly multimode and induce rich non-equilibrium atomic dynamics. In particular, I find that there exists a synergistic interplay between the generated optical pat- terns and the atoms, wherein the scattered fields help the atoms to self-organize into new, multimode structures that are not externally imposed on the atomic sample. These self-organized structures in turn enhance the power in the optical patterns. I provide the first detailed investigation of the motional dynamics of atoms that have self-organized in a multimode geometry. I also show that the transverse optical patterns induce Sisyphus cooling in all three spatial dimensions, which is the first observation of spontaneous three-dimensional cooling. My experiment represents a unique means by which to study nonlinear optics and non-equilibrium dynamics at ultra-low required powers.

•Jan 1, 2016•0 citations

Transverse optical and atomic pattern formation

Bonnie L. Schmittberger, Daniel J. Gauthier

The study of transverse optical pattern formation has been studied extensively in nonlinear optics, with a recent experimental interest in studying the phenomenon using cold atoms, which can undergo real-space self-organization. Here, we describe our experimental observation of pattern formation in cold atoms, which occurs using less than 1 μW of applied power. We show that the optical patterns and the self-organized atomic structures undergo continuous symmetry breaking, which is characteristic of nonequilibrium phenomena in a multimode system. To theoretically describe pattern formation in cold atoms, we present a self-consistent model that allows for tight atomic bunching in the applied optical lattice. We derive the nonlinear refractive index of a gas of multilevel atoms in an optical lattice, and we derive the threshold conditions under which pattern formation occurs. We show that by using small detunings and sub-Doppler temperatures, one achieves intensity thresholds for pattern formation that are reduced by two orders of magnitude compared to warm atoms.

arXiv:1603.06280•Journal of the Optical Society of America B•Jun 24, 2016•10 citations
The spontaneous formation of patterns in dynamical systems is a rich phenomenon that transcends scientific boundaries. Here, we report our observation of coupled optical–atomic pattern formation, which results in the creation of self-organized, multimode structures in free-space laser-driven cold atoms. We show that this process gives rise to spontaneous three-dimensional Sisyphus cooling even at very low light intensities and the emergence of self-organized structures on both sub- and super-wavelength scales.
The nonlinear interaction between light and atoms is an extensive field of study with a broad range of applications in quantum information science and condensed matter physics. Nonlinear optical phenomena occurring in cold atoms are particularly interesting because such slowly moving atoms can spatially organize into density gratings, which allows for studies involving optical interactions with structured materials. In this thesis, I describe a novel nonlinear optical effect that arises when cold atoms spatially bunch in an optical lattice. I show that employing this spatial atomic bunching provides access to a unique physical regime with reduced thresholds for nonlinear optical processes and enhanced material properties. Using this method, I observe the nonlinear optical phenomenon of transverse optical pattern formation at record-low powers. These transverse optical patterns are generated by a wave- mixing process that is mediated by the cold atomic vapor. The optical patterns are highly multimode and induce rich non-equilibrium atomic dynamics. In particular, I find that there exists a synergistic interplay between the generated optical pat- terns and the atoms, wherein the scattered fields help the atoms to self-organize into new, multimode structures that are not externally imposed on the atomic sample. These self-organized structures in turn enhance the power in the optical patterns. I provide the first detailed investigation of the motional dynamics of atoms that have self-organized in a multimode geometry. I also show that the transverse optical patterns induce Sisyphus cooling in all three spatial dimensions, which is the first observation of spontaneous three-dimensional cooling. My experiment represents a unique means by which to study nonlinear optics and non-equilibrium dynamics at ultra-low required powers.
The study of transverse optical pattern formation has been studied extensively in nonlinear optics, with a recent experimental interest in studying the phenomenon using cold atoms, which can undergo real-space self-organization. Here, we describe our experimental observation of pattern formation in cold atoms, which occurs using less than 1 μW of applied power. We show that the optical patterns and the self-organized atomic structures undergo continuous symmetry breaking, which is characteristic of nonequilibrium phenomena in a multimode system. To theoretically describe pattern formation in cold atoms, we present a self-consistent model that allows for tight atomic bunching in the applied optical lattice. We derive the nonlinear refractive index of a gas of multilevel atoms in an optical lattice, and we derive the threshold conditions under which pattern formation occurs. We show that by using small detunings and sub-Doppler temperatures, one achieves intensity thresholds for pattern formation that are reduced by two orders of magnitude compared to warm atoms.