Interference phenomena in atomic scattering

B Ya Dubetskiĭ, A. P. Kazantsev, V. P. Chebotaev +1 more

E. A. Gazazyan, A. D. Gazazyan, V. O. Chaltykyan

Resonant scattering of atoms with formation of the Feshbach resonance in the presence of a laser radiation coupling the levels of two bound atoms (a molecule) is considered. The laser field leads to a second resonance in scattering and broadening of resonances, which facilitates the possibility of experimental observation of asymmetry of the total scattering cross-section arising because of interference between resonant and potential scatterings. The effects associated with interference of the two channels of decay of a bound system of two atoms (a molecule) in the laser field are studied. An expression is obtained for the scattering length in collision of two cold atoms in the field of laser radiation.

Richard G. Brewer

Bragg scattering and superradiance, always considered independently, are examined jointly for the case of two trapped ions. The two phenomena are seen to be different representations of the same basic two-ion interference resulting from a common coherent optical preparation. Solutions of a master equation for two four-level atoms show that fringes (spatial interference) and a variation of the spontaneous emission lifetime with ion-ion distance (temporal interference) can occur either simultaneously or separately. Unlike a classical calculation, not all scatterings result in interference, a quantum effect not considered in interpreting recent experiments.

JOHN M. COWLEY

P. H. N. Magnani, Pablo Gabriel Santos Dias, Marcia Frómeta Fernández +7 more

The authors demonstrate reciprocity breaking induced by noncommuting polarization operations using an interferometric setup for light scattered by cold atoms. The experiment provides insights into how interference phenomena may be affected by symmetry-breaking effects in disordered systems.

K. T. Hecht