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REFROIDISSEMENT PAR BANDES LATERALES D'ATOMES DE CESIUM ET QUELQUES APPLICATIONS

Isabelle Bouchoule, SALOMON, CHRISTOPHE

Published Jan 1, 2000• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

In the experiment presented in this thesis, Cesium atoms were trapped in a non-dissipative, intensity lattice produced by two Nd:YAG laser beams. Vertically, atoms are confined in independent micro-planes at each intensity maximum. The gaussian shape of the beams provides the horizontal confinement. Thanks to the strong vertical confinement, we could develop an optical sideband cooling method which accumulates about 95\% of the atoms in the ground state of the vertical motion. From this state, which is almost pure, we prepared other pure quantum states and, using an absoption imaging technique, we visualized directly their velocity distribution. First, we produced the first excited state of motion whose velocity distribution is zero for $v=0$. We also produced non stationary states and visualized the temporal evolution of their velocity distribution. In this way, the evolution of a superposition of the first two vibrationnal states and that of squeezed states have been recorded. Squeezed states are, as the ground state, minimum uncertainty states ($\Delta p \Delta z=\hbar/2$), but their velocity distribution is narrower than that of the ground state. A compression of the velocity distribution by a factor 4 has been obtained. By applying the cooling of the vertical motion for a long time, thanks to the energy transfer from the horizontal to the vertical direction provided by the collisions, we cooled the movement in all three directions. In this way, we obtained a temperature $T \simeq 3\,\mu$K for which 80\% of the atoms are in the ground state of the vertical movement. The gas thus realized is pratically a two-dimensionnal gas. Finally, the study of thermalization showed that the scattering resonnance at zero energy of Cesium is not affected by the strong vertical confinement.

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Temperature and optical pumping rates in a bichromatic 3D Optical Lattice

Harald Ellmann, Johan Jersblad, Anders Kastberg

A complete laser cooling setup was built, with focus on threedimensional near-resonant optical lattices for cesium. These consist of regularly ordered micropotentials, created by the interference of four laser beams. One key feature of optical lattices is an inherent ”Sisyphus cooling” process. It efficiently extracts kinetic energy from the atoms, leading to equilibrium temperatures of a few µK. The corresponding kinetic energy is lower than the depth of the potential wells, so that atoms can be trapped.We performed detailed studies of the cooling processes in optical lattices by using the time-of-flight and absorption-imaging techniques. We investigated the dependence of the equilibrium temperature on the optical lattice parameters, such as detuning, optical potential and lattice geometry. The presence of neighbouring transitions in the cesium hyperfine level structure was used to break symmetries in order to identify, which role “red” and “blue” transitions play in the cooling. We also examined the limits for the cooling process in optical lattices, and the possible difference in steady-state velocity distributions for different directions. Moreover, in collaboration with ´Ecole Normale Sup´erieure in Paris, numerical simulations were performed in order to get more insight in the cooling dynamics of optical lattices.Optical lattices can keep atoms almost perfectly isolated from the environment and have therefore been suggested as a platform for a host of possible experiments aimed at coherent quantum manipulations, such as spin-squeezing and the implementation of quantum logic-gates. We developed a novel way to trap two different cesium ground states in two distinct, interpenetrating optical lattices, and to change the distance between sites of one lattice relative to sites of the other lattice. This is a first step towards the implementation of quantum simulation schemes in optical lattices.

•Jan 1, 2002•0 citations
In the experiment presented in this thesis, Cesium atoms were trapped in a non-dissipative, intensity lattice produced by two Nd:YAG laser beams. Vertically, atoms are confined in independent micro-planes at each intensity maximum. The gaussian shape of the beams provides the horizontal confinement. Thanks to the strong vertical confinement, we could develop an optical sideband cooling method which accumulates about 95% of the atoms in the ground state of the vertical motion. From this state, which is almost pure, we prepared other pure quantum states and, using an absoption imaging technique, we visualized directly their velocity distribution. First, we produced the first excited state of motion whose velocity distribution is zero for v=0v=0v=0. We also produced non stationary states and visualized the temporal evolution of their velocity distribution. In this way, the evolution of a superposition of the first two vibrationnal states and that of squeezed states have been recorded. Squeezed states are, as the ground state, minimum uncertainty states (ΔpΔz=ℏ/2\Delta p \Delta z=\hbar/2ΔpΔz=ℏ/2), but their velocity distribution is narrower than that of the ground state. A compression of the velocity distribution by a factor 4 has been obtained. By applying the cooling of the vertical motion for a long time, thanks to the energy transfer from the horizontal to the vertical direction provided by the collisions, we cooled the movement in all three directions. In this way, we obtained a temperature T≃3 μT \simeq 3\,\muT≃3μK for which 80% of the atoms are in the ground state of the vertical movement. The gas thus realized is pratically a two-dimensionnal gas. Finally, the study of thermalization showed that the scattering resonnance at zero energy of Cesium is not affected by the strong vertical confinement.
We study one-dimensional (1D) sideband cooling of cesium atoms strongly confined in a far-detuned optical lattice. The Lamb-Dicke regime is achieved in the lattice direction whereas the transverse confinement is much weaker. The employed sideband cooling method, first studied by Vuleti\ifmmode \acute{c}\else \'{c}\fi{} et al., uses Raman transitions between Zeeman levels and produces a spin-polarized sample. We present a detailed study of this cooling method and investigate the role of elastic collisions in the system. We accumulate 83(5)% of the atoms in the vibrational ground state of the strongly confined motion, and elastic collisions cool the transverse motion to a temperature of $2.8\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{K}=0.7\ensuremath{\Elzxh}{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{\mathrm{osc}}{/k}_{B},$ where ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{\mathrm{osc}}$ is the oscillation frequency in the strongly confined direction. The sample then approaches the regime of a quasi-2D cold gas. We analyze the limits of this cooling method and propose a dynamical change of the trapping potential as a mean of cooling the atomic sample to still lower temperatures. Measurements of the rate of thermalization between the weakly and strongly confined degrees of freedom are compatible with the zero-energy scattering resonance observed previously in weak 3D traps. For the explored temperature range the measurements agree with recent calculations of quasi-2D collisions. Transparent analytical models reproduce the expected behavior for ${k}_{B}T\ensuremath{\gg}\ensuremath{\Elzxh}{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{\mathrm{osc}}$ and also for ${k}_{B}T\ensuremath{\ll}\ensuremath{\Elzxh}{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{\mathrm{osc}}$ where the 2D features are prominent.
Sideband laser cooling using stimulated Raman transitions is performed on trapped cesium atoms. The confinement is produced by a far–off-resonance dipole trap consisting of two crossed YAG beams which, by interference, create a one-dimensional optical lattice. In a pure intensity lattice, we measure a 1D temperature of T = 6 μK corresponding to a mean quantum vibrational number of about ⟨ n v ⟩ = 0.75. In a polarization gradient lattice, the final temperature is T = 3.6 μK corresponding to ⟨ n v ⟩ ≃ 2.4.
Sideband laser cooling using stimulated Raman transitions is performed on trapped cesium atoms. The confinement is produced by a far–off-resonance dipole trap consisting of two crossed YAG beams which, by interference, create a one-dimensional optical lattice. In a pure intensity lattice, we measure a 1D temperature of T = 6 μK corresponding to a mean quantum vibrational number of about nv = 0.75. In a polarization gradient lattice, the final temperature is T = 3.6 μK corresponding to nv 2.4.
A complete laser cooling setup was built, with focus on threedimensional near-resonant optical lattices for cesium. These consist of regularly ordered micropotentials, created by the interference of four laser beams. One key feature of optical lattices is an inherent ”Sisyphus cooling” process. It efficiently extracts kinetic energy from the atoms, leading to equilibrium temperatures of a few µK. The corresponding kinetic energy is lower than the depth of the potential wells, so that atoms can be trapped. We performed detailed studies of the cooling processes in optical lattices by using the time-of-flight and absorption-imaging techniques. We investigated the dependence of the equilibrium temperature on the optical lattice parameters, such as detuning, optical potential and lattice geometry. The presence of neighbouring transitions in the cesium hyperfine level structure was used to break symmetries in order to identify, which role “red” and “blue” transitions play in the cooling. We also examined the limits for the cooling process in optical lattices, and the possible difference in steady-state velocity distributions for different directions. Moreover, in collaboration with ´Ecole Normale Sup´erieure in Paris, numerical simulations were performed in order to get more insight in the cooling dynamics of optical lattices. Optical lattices can keep atoms almost perfectly isolated from the environment and have therefore been suggested as a platform for a host of possible experiments aimed at coherent quantum manipulations, such as spin-squeezing and the implementation of quantum logic-gates. We developed a novel way to trap two different cesium ground states in two distinct, interpenetrating optical lattices, and to change the distance between sites of one lattice relative to sites of the other lattice. This is a first step towards the implementation of quantum simulation schemes in optical lattices.
Cold Cs atoms are cooled into the ground state ( n=0n\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}0n=0) of a far detuned 1D optical lattice. From this state, we prepare and detect several quantum states of motion. First, we produce squeezed states of n=0n\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}0n=0 (and n=1n\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}1n=1) and record the time evolution of the velocity distribution of these states. A velocity distribution compressed by a factor of 4 compared to that of the ground state is obtained. Second, we prepare a linear superposition of n=0n\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}0n=0 and n=1n\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}1n=1 and observe its time evolution.
A complete laser cooling setup was built, with focus on threedimensional near-resonant optical lattices for cesium. These consist of regularly ordered micropotentials, created by the interference of four laser beams. One key feature of optical lattices is an inherent ”Sisyphus cooling” process. It efficiently extracts kinetic energy from the atoms, leading to equilibrium temperatures of a few µK. The corresponding kinetic energy is lower than the depth of the potential wells, so that atoms can be trapped.We performed detailed studies of the cooling processes in optical lattices by using the time-of-flight and absorption-imaging techniques. We investigated the dependence of the equilibrium temperature on the optical lattice parameters, such as detuning, optical potential and lattice geometry. The presence of neighbouring transitions in the cesium hyperfine level structure was used to break symmetries in order to identify, which role “red” and “blue” transitions play in the cooling. We also examined the limits for the cooling process in optical lattices, and the possible difference in steady-state velocity distributions for different directions. Moreover, in collaboration with ´Ecole Normale Sup´erieure in Paris, numerical simulations were performed in order to get more insight in the cooling dynamics of optical lattices.Optical lattices can keep atoms almost perfectly isolated from the environment and have therefore been suggested as a platform for a host of possible experiments aimed at coherent quantum manipulations, such as spin-squeezing and the implementation of quantum logic-gates. We developed a novel way to trap two different cesium ground states in two distinct, interpenetrating optical lattices, and to change the distance between sites of one lattice relative to sites of the other lattice. This is a first step towards the implementation of quantum simulation schemes in optical lattices.