Atom-interferometric measurement of Stark level splittings

Alex D. Cronin

Limei Wang, Hao Zhang, Linjie Zhang +3 more

Mixed adiabatic and diabatic passages through avoided crossings in the Stark map of cesium Rydberg atoms are employed as beam splitters and recombiners in an atom-interferometric measurement of energy-level splittings. We subject cold cesium atoms to laser-excitation, electric-field, and detection sequences that constitute an (internal-state) atom interferometer. The adiabatic state transformation in the interferometer's beam splitters enables the spectroscopy of states that are, due to selection rules, inaccessible to direct laser-spectroscopic observation. For the read-out of the interferometer we utilize state-dependent collisions, which selectively remove atoms of one kind from the detected signal. We investigate the dependence of the interferometric signal on timing and field parameters, and find good agreement with quantum simulations of the interferometer. Fourier analysis of the interferometric signals yield coherence frequencies that agree with corresponding energy-level differences in calculated Stark maps.

Gao-Jian Zeng

In this paper, we study Stark splitting of a three-level atom in a circularly polarized electromagnetic wave. We calculate energies of splitting levels. Under some special tuning ways and approximation conditions, these energies have simpler forms and display the following general picture of Stark splitting: the levels of a $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$- or V-type atom are split into six sublevels, while that of a $\ensuremath{\Sigma}$-type atom is split into nine sublevels. We discuss also the occupation probabilities of splitting levels; they are dependent on initial condition. Under the same tuning ways and approximation conditions, some of them may become zero. Therefore under different initial conditions, practical pictures of Stark splitting are not the same. For example, if the atom is initially in its state 1, the practical picture of Stark splitting is the following: the levels of a $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$- or V-type atom are split into four sublevels; that of a $\ensuremath{\Sigma}$-type atom is split into six sublevels. If the atom is initially in its state 2, the practical picture of Stark splitting is the following: the levels of a $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$- or V-type atom are split into five sublevels, while that of a $\ensuremath{\Sigma}$-type atom is split into eight sublevels.

Frank A. Narducci

Weiping Zhang

In this paper, the two-photon Bloch equations of a two-level atom in broadband squeezed light are derived. On this basis, we discuss two-photon dynamic Stark splitting of atomic levels and the time evolution of atomic variables. The phenomena of squeezing-induced enhancement and reduction of dynamic Stark splitting of the atomic levels and overdamping of atomic time evolution are obtained.

David E. Pritchard