Physicists had long dreamed of creating an atom laser – a coherent beam of atoms that could be collimated or brought to a focus, just like an optical laser.
This work has theoretically studied the optical properties, such as the object-image relation and the focal length of the atom-optical lens created by far red-detuned Gaussian laser beam perpendicular to the propagation direction of the atomic cloud. Furthermore we have thoroughly studied the collimation effect when the cold atomic clouds passing through the laser beam. The effective transverse temperature can reach tens nanokelvin, which is far smaller than that by 1D polarization gradient cooling.
This work has theoretically studied the optical properties, such as the object-image relation and the focal length of the atom-optical lens created by far red-detuned Gaussian laser beam perpendicular to the propagation direction of the atomic cloud. Furthermore we have thoroughly studied the collimation effect when the cold atomic clouds passing through the laser beam. The effective transverse temperature can reach tens nanokelvin, which is far smaller than that by 1D polarization gradient cooling.
This dissertation presents progress on an atomic beam brightening and focusing experiment that has been shown to create a beam with higher brightness and greater resolution than that of any previous atomic focusing experiment. Our method of beam brightening relies upon using a permanent magnetic hexapole as a lens in conjunction with transverse laser cooling to focus and collimate a supersonic beam of metastable neon atoms. We then use an adjustable electromagnetic hexapole as a lens to focus the brightened atomic beam. Neutral atom beams have long been used as a tool to spectroscopically probe two dimensional surfaces, however the lack of a means to create bright, high-resolution neutral atom beams has limited their utility as a nanoscale resolution probing mechanism. While optical and electron microscopy have been the workhorses of microscopy for decades, we believe that our scheme for beam brightening and focusing will unleash the promise of neutral atom microscopy. Our scheme of beam brightening and focusing can be repeated in series and reveals a pathway to true high density nanoscale neutral atom focusing. Simulations suggest that when combined with aberration correction, our scheme will be able to produce an atomic beam with sufficient brightness and resolution to be useful as a surface sensitive nanoscale probe.