Atoms Controlled at the Quantum Limit: Manipulation of Atoms with Laser Light

Wolfgang A. Ertmer, G. Birkl

K. Sengstock, Wolfgang A. Ertmer

Yi Chen, Serguei Andreevich, Byoung Seung HAM

We first demonstrated the two-color stationary light and quantum wavelength conversion using quantum coherence resulting from strongly coupled slow light through EIT in a double-lambda system. Then we generalized the approach to the MC light fields in the multi double coherent atomic medium driven by the M++M- control intensive laser fields and showed how to manipulate the MC light field within the adiabatic limit. The results show that the MC light fields can be controlled by simply adjusting the control fields' parameters for (1) MC stationary light, (2) selection of propagation direction (forward or backward), and (3) MC wavelength conversion. The maximum stationary time and minimum spatial

Arthur Ashkin

Nuttanan Tanasanchai, Kritsana Srakeaw, J. Phrompao +1 more

We present an asymmetric focused-beam trap of rubidium-85 atoms where the cloud volume only varied with the trap laser intensity. By repumping on F=2 to F'=2 D2 transition, the Stokes Raman scattering has strongly affected the population ratio in the two hyperfine ground states. With the volume and trap number simultaneously and separately controlled, we have shown that the cloud density can be monotonously manipulated from zero to the maximum value limited by the cooling power. By solely varying the intensity of repump laser, the scheme for precision loading of exact 1-6 atoms in the FORT, which is beyond the practical loading limit of the blue-detuned light-assisted collision, is described.

Nicholas R. Hutzler, Lee R. Liu, Yichao Yu +1 more

Microscopically controlled neutral atoms in optical tweezers and lattices have led to exciting advances in the study of quantum information and quantum many-body systems. The light shifts of atomic levels from the trapping potential in these systems can result in detrimental effects such as fluctuating dipole force heating, inhomogeneous detunings, and inhibition of laser cooling, which limits the atomic species that can be manipulated. In particular, these light shifts can be large enough to prevent loading into optical tweezers directly from a magneto-optical trap. We implement a general solution to these limitations by loading, as well as cooling and imaging the atoms with temporally alternating beams, and present an analysis of the role of heating and required cooling for single atom tweezer loading. Because this technique does not depend on any specific spectral properties, it should enable the optical tweezer platform to be extended to nearly any atomic or molecular species that can be laser cooled and optically trapped.