Observation and control of Ultra-cold atomic De Broglie wave dynamics in an Optical lattice

幹男 上妻

J. H. Huckans, Ian B. Spielman, B. Laburthe-Tolra +2 more

Jacob Friis Sherson, Sung Jong Park, Poul L. Pedersen +4 more

The coherent manipulation of wave packets is an important tool in many areas of physics. We demonstrate the experimental realization of quasi-free wave packets of ultra-cold atoms bound by an external harmonic trap. The wave packets are produced by modulating the intensity of an optical lattice containing a Bose-Einstein condensate. The evolution of these wave packets is monitored in-situ and their reflection on a band gap is observed. In direct analogy with pump-probe spectroscopy, a probe pulse allows for the resonant de-excitation of the wave packet into localized lattice states at a long, controllable distance of more than 100 lattice sites from the main component. This coherent control mechanism for ultra-cold atoms thus enables controlled quantum state preparation, opening exciting perspectives for quantum metrology and simulation.

Sergey V. Prants, Leonid E. Kon’kov, A. A. Didov

Markus Arndt, Pierre Desbiolles, David Guéry-Odelin +3 more

We have designed a gravitational cavity for ultra-cold atoms using an atomic mirror made from an evanescent laser wave. By a temporal variation of the evanescent wave intensity, we have realized various atom optics components such as temporal slits and phase modulators. We have also designed an atom interferometer using this cavity which proves that the coherence of the de Broglie waves can be preserved during the bounce of the atoms on the mirror.

Benjamin P. Holder