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Optics Express

Spatial filtering of Zeeman sub-states in an atomic fountain

Xiaolong Wang, Gewen Sun, Bing Cheng, Bin Wu, Helin Wang, Zhaoying Wang, Jing Wang, Chunlin Chen, Li-Ming Wu, Shaohua Chang, Junze Tong, Rongrong Ma, Yafei Feng, Wenbin Xie, Qiang Lin

Published May 30, 2022• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

In an atomic fountain, atoms in motion can be spatially separated into discrete Zeeman sub-states by magnetically induced Stern-Gerlach effect. With resonant light pulses acting as a shutter, specific states are selected for subsequent experiments. Such separation-selection process in atomic optics is the analogue of a spatial filter in physical optics which selects and purifies the modes of light. This technique is demonstrated by injecting a pulsed current in a circular coil around a vertical atomic fountain, separating the pre-cooled Rubidium atoms by a distance of centimeters in between, and filtering each single sub-state with block pulses. The filtered atoms after the process is highly purified in the desired sub-state. The apparatus of the atomic spatial filter is adaptable in atomic optics and can be integrated into the high-vacuum chamber of an atomic fountain.

DOI
10.1364/oe.457610

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In an atomic fountain, atoms in motion can be spatially separated into discrete Zeeman sub-states by magnetically induced Stern-Gerlach effect. With resonant light pulses acting as a shutter, specific states are selected for subsequent experiments. Such separation-selection process in atomic optics is the analogue of a spatial filter in physical optics which selects and purifies the modes of light. This technique is demonstrated by injecting a pulsed current in a circular coil around a vertical atomic fountain, separating the pre-cooled Rubidium atoms by a distance of centimeters in between, and filtering each single sub-state with block pulses. The filtered atoms after the process is highly purified in the desired sub-state. The apparatus of the atomic spatial filter is adaptable in atomic optics and can be integrated into the high-vacuum chamber of an atomic fountain.
Summary form only given. Spatial coherences are measured by means of a new atom interferometry technique. First, a coherent superposition of the Zeeman components of the atom is built by means of well-controlled magnetic interactions. Second, pulsed inhomogeneous magnetic fields are employed to coherently separate and reunite the atomic substates via the Stern-Gerlach induced forces. Finally, atomic interference fringes are recorded on the state-selected outcoming sample by changing the spatial separation. This method bears strong similarities with the Fourier-transform spectroscopy of light. The interferogram visibility curve yields the atom sample spatial coherences. For example, when the applied magnetic gradients are parallel to the atom trajectory, one gets the coherence length by varying the overlap of the separated wavepackets. Several experiments on cold cesium atoms have been performed and are presented. Furthermore, we have used our magnetic cooling method to prepare the atom cloud upstream from the interferometer. Large enhancements of the coherence length are demonstrated.
We report a different type of optical Stern-Gerlach effect, where a magnetic-field gradient is replaced with a light-intensity gradient and a paramagnetic atom is deflected according to its magnetic quantum number. The laser light is detuned between the D1D1D1 and D2D2D2 frequencies, with the size of the detuning from the D2D2D2 resonance being twice that from the D1D1D1 resonance, and it is circularly polarized to produce an ac Stark shift that takes the form of a pure Zeeman shift. Slow rubidium atoms are extracted from a magneto-optical trap and then spin polarized. The atoms traversing the laser-intensity gradient on one side of the Gaussian beam profile show deflections that depend on the atomic spin state and the laser polarization. When the laser-beam axis is aligned with the slit that defines the atomic beam, we observe focusing and defocusing of the atomic beam.
Abstract Based on the dichroism induced by the optical pumping effect, a novel and effective configuration to select an arbitrary polarization distribution is proposed. The influence of the distribution of atoms in different Zeeman sub-levels is the main cause to realize the measurement or ‘filtration’ of the state of polarization. A detailed process of the optical pumping effect in our configurations is presented in the theoretical analysis. In the experiment, the flexible function of the atomic medium, such as a polarizer or a polarized filter can efficiently be realized by different polarizations of the pump beam. Four different kinds of vector beams are tested and the ability to analyze any kind of beam with arbitrary polarization distribution is proven in agreement with the prediction. This work has potential applications in atomic physics and polarization optics. Furthermore, it can provide a reference to atom-optical elements and atom-optical devices.
An atom interferometer based on a Stern-Gerlach beam splitter is proposed. Atom scattering from a combination of magnetic quadrupole and homogeneous magnetic fields is considered. Using Raman transitions, atoms are coherently excited into and de-excited from sublevels having nonzero magnetic quantum numbers. The spatial regions in which the atoms are in such sublevels are small and have magnetic fields designed to have constant gradients. Therefore, the atoms experience position-independent accelerations, and the aberration of the coherently separated and recombined atomic beams remains small. We find that because of these properties it is possible to envision an apparatus producing atomic density gratings with nm-scale periods and large contrasts over 10-100 μμμm. We use a new method of describing the atomic interaction with a pulsed spatially homogeneous field. In our detailed analysis, we calculate corrections caused by the non-linear part of the potential and the finite value of the de-Broglie wave length. The chromatic aberration and the effects of an angular beam divergence are analyzed, and optimal conditions for an experimental demonstration of the technique are identified.%The lin⊥lin\bot %linlin⊥ combination of resonant co-propagating traveling waves splits %atoms between different Zeeman sublevels. %For a given desirable atom %grating period and length, characteristics of the atomic beam and %magnetic field are found from requirements that corrections remain %below 1010%.10