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Journal of the Optical Society of America B

Light masks for atom diffraction created from twisted beams with a Gaussian intensity envelope

V. E. Lembessis

Published Mar 13, 2018• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We show how we can construct light masks from twisted beams with Gaussian envelopes. These masks can be used for the diffraction of cold atoms and lead to the generation of atom vortex beams. We show that these types of masks are more efficient in the generation of twisted atom beams than the corresponding light masks created with Laguerre–Gaussian beams.

DOI
10.1364/josab.35.000818

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We show how we can construct light masks from twisted beams with Gaussian envelopes. These masks can be used for the diffraction of cold atoms and lead to the generation of atom vortex beams. We show that these types of masks are more efficient in the generation of twisted atom beams than the corresponding light masks created with Laguerre–Gaussian beams.
The concept that all de Broglie particles can form vortex beams is analyzed for neutral atoms. It is shown how atoms diffracted from a suitably constructed optical mask configuration employing light of lll units of orbital angular momentum and at far-off resonance with an atomic transition can lead to the generation of a discrete set of atom vortex beams each endowed with the property of quantized orbital angular momentum about the beam axis in units of $\ensuremath{\hbar}l$. Selection criteria of atom vortex beams are derived and the functioning of the mask configuration for angular dispersion of beams in terms of de Broglie wavelength is analyzed. Prospects of applications in the areas of atom interferometry and dispersion, and quantum information processing via atom vortices are pointed out.
Summary form only given. Recent advances in cold atom physics have seen the emergence of the area of atom guiding along hollow core optical fibres and also along light beams. Both employ the optical dipole force which for suitably tuned light can restrict the atoms to the dark hollow region of the fibre or the light beam. In this work, we discuss and analyse a novel scheme of channelling cold atoms into a high-order Bessel beam (via a high-order Laguerre-Gaussian beam) and demonstrate an efficient method of producing such beams.
We are exploring the possibilities offered by Spatial Light Modulators to create dipole potentials with arbitrary shape in order to apply to cold atoms. As a first experiment we have realized a guide for atoms by shaping the laser beam into a Laguerre-Gaussian mode, creating a sort of tube, empty of light, where the atoms rest confined during their flight in the gravity field. We are, now, creating new potentials by modifying the Laguerre-Gaussian hologram in order to create new original traps for atoms.
Diffractive optics are used to create low- and high-order Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams from the output of a diode laser. We examine the mode purities, conversion efficiencies, extinction ratios, and propagation characteristics. We present detailed analyses of the beam profiles for one low-order (LG01)({\mathrm{LG}}_{0}^{1})(LG01​) and one high-order (LG12)({\mathrm{LG}}_{1}^{2})(LG12​) Laguerre-Gaussian mode. Modeling the LG12{\mathrm{LG}}_{1}^{2}LG12​ beam as a superposition of LG modes, we find $(99.3\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.9%)$ of the laser intensity in the LG12{\mathrm{LG}}_{1}^{2}LG12​ mode, a mode purity greater than for LG beams created by other methods external to the laser cavity. The high mode purity may be useful in making atom traps for precision measurements and for Bose-Einstein condensation.
We propose a scheme for the generation of an ion vortex beam and we study the properties of its electromagnetic field on a plane transverse to its propagation direction. The ion vortex is created by the diffraction of an ionic beam by a light mask with a spiral-like transverse intensity pattern. The diffraction is a result of a short time optical dipole interaction between the light mask and the ion which results to a phase imprint on the ionic wave function. It is shown that as the order of the vortex states that are generated by the various diffraction gets higher the electromagnetic field components have reduced magnitudes. The properties of these fields are studied against the various parameters of the problem.