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Frontiers in Optics

Dynamic van der Waals interaction in atomic mirrors

Ángela M. Guzmán

Published Jan 1, 2004• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The combined effect of an evanescent wave and the vacuum results in a dynamic London-van der Waals (LvdW) potential for atoms close to an atomic mirror, whose value is derived here from the effective quantum dipole-dipole interaction between the induced atomic dipole and its instantaneous image in the dielectric mirror.
DOI
10.1364/fio.2004.fthq4

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The London-van der Waals potential experienced by an atom under reflection from an atomic mirror is modeled as a quantum dipole-dipole interaction between the atomic dipole induced by the evanescent wave and its image dipole in the dielectric mirror. The quantum dipole-dipole interaction arises from the combined effect of the evanescent field and spontaneous emission. It depends on the electronic structure of the atom and is described by an effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonian that yields dissipative effects under reflection. The analytical expression obtained here preserves the power-law dependence of the static van der Waals interaction at distances close to the wall, but its long-distance behavior reflects that of the evanescent wave.
After a brief introduction to the field of atom optics and to atomic mirrors, we present experimental results obtained in our group during the last two years while studying the reflection of rubidium atoms by an evanescent wave. These involve the first measurement of the van der Waals force between an atom in its ground state and a dielectric wall, as well as the demonstration of a reflection grating for atoms at normal incidence. We also consider the influence of quantum reflection and tunnelling phenomena. Further studies using the atomic mirror as a probe of the van der Waals interaction, and of very small surface roughness are briefly discussed.
We analyze the possibilities of approaching atom-surface interactions through their contribution to the atomic matter de Broglie wave phase, in an interferometer based on an evanescent light atomic mirror. The surface interactions produce an additional phase shift that is evaluated to a few times \ensuremath{\pi} for a neon atom in a metastable state. We propose and investigate an experimental procedure that uses the principles of polarization (for instance, Stern-Gerlach) interferometers in order to monitor these long-range interactions (van der Waals, Casimir-Polder, etc.) between a ground-state or metastable-state atom and either a metallic or a dielectric surface. Our approach gives access to the differential phase shift between Zeeman sublevels, and should then be sensitive to an eventual anisotropy of the atom-surface interaction.
van der Waals interactions between atoms and dielectric surfaces are reinvestigated. To describe the nonretarded interaction potential between a dispersive dielectric surface and an atom in an arbitrary internal energy state, we derive a general expression in terms of an integral, over real frequency, of the combined atom and surface polarizabilities. It is shown that, for excited atoms, the expression is equivalent to the one obtained by Wylie and Sipe [Phys. Rev. A 32, 2030 (1985)]. We thus demonstrate how to extend this approach to excited atoms interacting with birefringent dielectrics. For isotropic dielectrics, a method of integration in closed form allows us to derive an approximate formula for the van der Waals interaction constant in terms of resonance frequencies and oscillator strengths of both the atom and the dielectric. Frequency-dependent ``dielectric reflection'' coefficients are introduced for virtual atomic dipole couplings either in absorption or in emission. In absorption, the reflection coefficient is always positive and smaller than unity. In emission, it may take arbitrary values, positive or negative (corresponding to van der Waals repulsion). Such a behavior is shown to be related to resonant excitation exchange between the atomic system and the dielectric medium, when an atomic transition frequency gets in resonance with a dielectric absorption band. Numerical calculations performed for the cesium-sapphire system are shown to be in good agreement with data obtained by selective-reflection spectroscopy. Finally, experimental tests of the birefringent character of the sapphire response are discussed.
A theory of evanescent mode atomic mirrors utilising a metallic sheet on a dielectric substrate is described. The emphasis here is on the role of the metallic sheet and on the evaluation of atomic trajectories using the field- dipole orientation picture. At low intensity, the atomic reflection process is controlled by two separate mechanisms both of which are modified by the presence of the metallic sheet and influenced by the use of the field-dipole orientation picture. The first mechanism involves the spontaneous force which accelerates the atom parallel to the sheet plane. The second mechanism involves the combined dipole plus van der Waals force which acts to repel the atom from the surface, decelerating its motion until it attains an instantaneous halt before changing direction away from the surface at an appr opriate turning point in the trajectory. Various quantitative features arising from varying the controllable parameters of the system, including screening effects as well as desirable enhancement effects, are pointed out and discussed.