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Complex Light and Optical Forces

Re-shaping Bose-Einstein condensates with complex light for atomic persistent currents and trapping

Grant W. Henderson, Gordon R. M. Robb, Gian‐Luca Oppo, Alison M. Yao

Published Mar 15, 2023• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We numerically model the propagation of far-detuned optical beams through a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) using coupled nonlinear Schr¨odinger and Gross-Pitaevskii equations. For red atom-field detuning, we show that light carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) can lead to coupled light-atom solitons carrying angular momentum. We demonstrate the formation of azimuthally rotating wavepackets, toward an atomic persistent current without trapping requirements. For blue atom-field detuning, we show highly exotic BEC distributions, with the atoms trapped in dark regions of the optical field. Our results provide a novel means of atomic transport and of sculpting a BEC into unique transverse distributions.

DOI
10.1117/12.2655327

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We numerically model the propagation of far-detuned optical beams through a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) using coupled nonlinear Schr¨odinger and Gross-Pitaevskii equations. For red atom-field detuning, we show that light carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) can lead to coupled light-atom solitons carrying angular momentum. We demonstrate the formation of azimuthally rotating wavepackets, toward an atomic persistent current without trapping requirements. For blue atom-field detuning, we show highly exotic BEC distributions, with the atoms trapped in dark regions of the optical field. Our results provide a novel means of atomic transport and of sculpting a BEC into unique transverse distributions.
We model propagation of far-red-detuned optical vortex beams through a Bose-Einstein condensate using nonlinear Schrödinger and Gross-Pitaevskii equations. We show the formation of coupled light-atomic solitons that rotate azimuthally before moving off tangentially, carrying angular momentum. The number, and velocity, of solitons, depends on the orbital angular momentum of the optical field. Using a Bessel-Gauss beam increases radial confinement so that solitons can rotate with fixed azimuthal velocity. Our model provides a highly controllable method of channeling a BEC and atomic transport.
We numerically model the propagation of light through a Kerr medium and through a far-red-detuned Bose Einstein condensate (BEC) inside an optical cavity using Lugiato-Lefever and Gross-Pitaevskii equations. We demonstrate the formation of light-atomic ring lattices with rotation speeds and direction that can be controlled by the orbital angular momentum of the light. In the BEC, we show the possibility of moving from a lattice to a ring-shaped atomic circuit by changing the atomic scattering length, and explore the potential generation of rotating BEC cavity solitons. Our results may be of interest as slow light pulses with fully controllable speed and structure for use in optical quantum memories, for particle manipulation and trapping, and for the novel realization of highly controllable, tightly confined, rotating atomic lattices.
We examine the use of Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) laser beams in the tripod scheme to create the coupling between spin and orbital angular momentum in a Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) confined by a harmonic trap. We derive and solve the Gross-Pitaeskii equation numerically to obtain the density distribution of the BEC. Orbital angular momentum from the LG beam is transferred to the BEC, inducing the formation of a giant vortex at the BEC’s centre. The macroscopic flow of spinor BEC around the vortex leads to a persistent spin current in the BEC.
We describe the coherent transfer of the orbital angular momentum of a photon to an atom in quantized units of ℏ, using a 2-photon stimulated Raman process with Laguerre-Gaussian beams to generate an atomic vortex state in a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of sodium atoms. We show that the process is coherent by creating superpositions of different vortex states, where the relative phase between the states is determined by the relative phases of the optical fields. We use this technique to generate circular flow of a BEC confined in a toriodal shaped trap. We measure that the flow of atoms persists for up to 10 seconds, which we interpret as the first evidence of persistent currents in a superfluid Bose gas.
We demonstrate the coherent, quantized transfer of the orbital angular momentum of light to a Bose-Einstein condensate of sodium atoms by means of a stimulated, two-photon transition between the static, non-rotating BEC and a rotating state moving with the linear momentum of two photons. By reversing the transfer of linear momentum, without any angular momentum, we create either vortex states (in a simply connected trap) or persistent atom currents (in a toroidal trap). The persistent current in the toroidal trap lasts about 20 times longer than a vortex under similar conditions in the simply connected trap.