Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:cond-mat/0410349 · Physical Review Letters

Number Statistics of Molecules Formed from Ultracold Atoms

D. Meiser, Pierre Meystre

Published Mar 7, 2005• 22 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We calculate the number statistics of a single-mode molecular field excited by photo-association or via a Feshbach resonance from an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), a normal atomic Fermi gas, and a Fermi system with pair correlations (BCS state). We find that the molecule formation from a BEC leads for short times to a coherent molecular state in the quantum optical sense. Atoms in a normal Fermi gas, on the other hand, result for short times in a molecular field analog of a classical chaotic light source. The BCS situation is intermediate between the two and goes from producing an incoherent to a coherent molecular field with an increasing gap parameter. This distinct signature of the initial atomic state in the resulting molecular field makes single molecule counting into a powerful diagnostic tool.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.94.093001

Related papers

Full counting statistics of heteronuclear molecules from Feshbach-assisted photoassociation

Andreas Nunnenkamp, D. Meiser, Pierre Meystre

We study the effects of quantum statistics on the counting statistics of ultracold heteronuclear molecules formed by Feshbach-assisted photoassociation (Search and Meystre 2004 Phys. Rev. Lett. 93 140405). Exploiting the formal similarities with sum frequency generation and using quantum optics methods, we consider the cases where the molecules are formed from atoms out of two Bose–Einstein condensates (BEC), out of a BEC and a gas of degenerate fermions, and out of two degenerate Fermi gases with and without superfluidity. Bosons are treated in a single-mode approximation and fermions in a degenerate model. In these approximations, we can numerically solve the master equations describing the system's dynamics and thus we find the full counting statistics of the molecular modes. The full quantum dynamics calculations are complemented by mean-field calculations and short time perturbative expansions. While the molecule production rates are very similar in all three cases at this level of approximation, differences show up in the counting statistics of the molecular fields. The intermediate field of closed-channel molecules is, for short times, second-order coherent if the molecules are formed from two BECs or a Bose–Fermi mixture. They show counting statistics similar to a thermal field if formed from two normal Fermi gases. The coherence properties of molecule formation in two superfluid Fermi gases are intermediate between the two previous cases. In all cases, the final field of deeply bound molecules is found to be twice as noisy as that of the intermediate state. This is a consequence of its coupling to the lossy optical cavity in our model, which acts as an input port for quantum noise, much like the situation in an optical beam splitter.

arXiv:cond-mat/0508080•New Journal of Physics•Jun 5, 2006•16 citations

Molecule formation as a diagnostic tool for second-order correlations of ultracold gases

D. Meiser, Pierre Meystre, Christopher P. Search

We calculate the momentum distribution and the second-order correlation function in momentum space, ${g}^{(2)}(\mathbf{p},{\mathbf{p}}^{\ensuremath{'}},t)$ for molecular dimers that are coherently formed from an ultracold atomic gas by photoassociation or a Feshbach resonance. We investigate using perturbation theory how the quantum statistics of the molecules depend on the initial state of the atoms by considering three different initial states: a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), a normal Fermi gas of ultracold atoms, and a BCS-type superfluid Fermi gas. The cases of strong and weak coupling to the molecular field are discussed. It is found that BEC and BCS states give rise to an essentially coherent molecular field with a momentum distribution determined by the zero-point motion in the confining potential. On the other hand, a normal Fermi gas and the unpaired atoms in the BCS state give rise to a molecular field with a broad momentum distribution and thermal number statistics. It is shown that the first-order correlations of the molecules can be used to measure second-order correlations of the initial atomic state.

arXiv:cond-mat/0412297•Physical Review A•Mar 21, 2005•4 citations

Atom–molecule coherence in a Bose–Einstein condensate

Elizabeth A. Donley, N. R. Claussen, Sarah T. Thompson +1 more

Abstract Recent advances in the precise control of ultracold atomic systems have led to the realisation of Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) and degenerate Fermi gases. An important challenge is to extend this level of control to more complicated molecular systems. One route for producing ultracold molecules is to form them from the atoms in a BEC. For example, a two-photon stimulated Raman transition in a 87Rb BEC has been used to produce 87Rb2 molecules in a single rotational-vibrational state1, and ultracold molecules have also been formed2 through photoassociation of a sodium BEC. Although the coherence properties of such systems have not hitherto been probed, the prospect of creating a superposition of atomic and molecular condensates has initiated much theoretical work3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Here we make use of a time-varying magnetic field near a Feshbach resonance8, 9, 10, 11, 12 to produce coherent coupling between atoms and molecules in a 85Rb BEC. A mixture of atomic and molecular states is created and probed by sudden changes in the magnetic field, which lead to oscillations in the number of atoms that remain in the condensate. The oscillation frequency, measured over a large range of magnetic fields, is in excellent agreement with the theoretical molecular binding energy, indicating that we have created a quantum superposition of atoms and diatomic molecules—two chemically different species.

WORLD SCIENTIFIC eBooks•Jan 1, 2008•1 citation

Characterization of the coherence of ultra-cold atoms with nonlinear matter wave optics methods

Dominic Meiser

In this dissertation we make use of the many analogies between quantum optical and ultra-cold atomic and molecular systems in order to study the coherence properties of the latter with methods of non-linear optics. We adapt the XFROG method that has first been developed for the characterization of ultra-short laser pulses, to the problem of reconstructing both amplitude and phase of the condensate wavefunction of a Bose-Einstein-condensate (BEC). Using the example of a vortex state we study the dependence of the reconstruction quality on the number of measurements and different sources of noise and we find that the method is feasible with available experimental technology. Exploiting the similarity between the coherent formation of ultra-cold molecules and optical sum frequency generation we devise a scheme for measuring second-order correlations of atoms through density measurements of molecules. We use perturbation theory in the cases of weak and strong coupling between atoms and molecules to calculate the momentum distribution of the molecules for the cases where the molecules are formed from a BEC, a normal Fermi gas and a Fermi gas with superfluidity in a Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) state. These calculations are supplemented by exact integrations of Schroedinger's equation in the single mode approximation for the molecules. Atoms in a BEC are collectively transformed into molecules with a narrow momentum distribution reflecting the long coherence length of atoms in the BEC. For the normal Fermi gas molecules are formed non-collectively and their momentum distribution is much wider. The momentum distribution of molecules from a BCS state looks similar to the BEC case: The superfluid component leads to collectively formed molecules with a very narrow momentum distribution and the unpaired fraction gives rise to non-collectively formed molecules with a much wider momentum distribution similar to the normal Fermi gas case. The counting statistics of the molecules from a BEC is that of a coherent state, from a normal Fermi gas it is that of a thermal state and the BCS case interpolates between the two.

•Jan 1, 2006•0 citations

Formation of molecules and entangled atomic pairs from atomic BEC due to Feshbach resonance

Vladimir Yurovsky

Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) is considered under conditions of Feshbach resonance in two-atom collisions due to a coupling of atomic pair and resonant molecular states. The association of condensate atoms can form a molecular BEC, and the molecules can dissociate to pairs of entangled atoms in two-mode squeezed states. Both entanglement and squeezing can be applied to quantum measurements and information processing. The processes in the atom-molecule quantum gas are analyzed using two theoretical approaches. The mean-field one takes into account deactivating collisions of resonant molecules with other atoms and molecules, neglecting quantum fluctuations. This method allows analysis of inhomogeneous systems, such as expanding BEC. The non-mean-field approach -- the parametric approximation -- takes into account both deactivation and quantum fluctuations. This method allows determination of optimal conditions for formation of molecular BEC and describes Bose-enhanced dissociation of molecular BEC, as well as entanglement and squeezing of the non-condensate atoms.

arXiv:cond-mat/0611054•Nov 2, 2006•2 citations

Fermi excitations in a trapped atomic Fermi gas with a molecular Bose condensate

Yoji Ohashi, Adam Griffin

We discuss the effect of a molecular Bose condensate on the energy of Fermi excitations in a trapped two-component atomic Fermi gas. The single-particle Green's functions can be approximated by the well-known BCS form, in both the BCS (Cooper pairs) and BEC (Feshbach resonance molecules) domains. The composite Bose order parameter ${\tilde Δ}$ describing bound states of two atoms and the Fermi chemical potential $μ$ are calculated self-consistently. In the BEC regime characterized by $μ<0$, the Fermi quasiparticle energy gap is given by $\sqrt{μ^2+{\tilde Δ}^2}$, instead of $|{\tilde Δ}|$ in the BCS region, where $μ>0$. This shows up in the characteristic energy of atoms from dissociated molecules.

arXiv:cond-mat/0402031•Feb 2, 2004•0 citations
We calculate the number statistics of a single-mode molecular field excited by photo-association or via a Feshbach resonance from an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), a normal atomic Fermi gas, and a Fermi system with pair correlations (BCS state). We find that the molecule formation from a BEC leads for short times to a coherent molecular state in the quantum optical sense. Atoms in a normal Fermi gas, on the other hand, result for short times in a molecular field analog of a classical chaotic light source. The BCS situation is intermediate between the two and goes from producing an incoherent to a coherent molecular field with an increasing gap parameter. This distinct signature of the initial atomic state in the resulting molecular field makes single molecule counting into a powerful diagnostic tool.
We study the effects of quantum statistics on the counting statistics of ultracold heteronuclear molecules formed by Feshbach-assisted photoassociation (Search and Meystre 2004 Phys. Rev. Lett. 93 140405). Exploiting the formal similarities with sum frequency generation and using quantum optics methods, we consider the cases where the molecules are formed from atoms out of two Bose–Einstein condensates (BEC), out of a BEC and a gas of degenerate fermions, and out of two degenerate Fermi gases with and without superfluidity. Bosons are treated in a single-mode approximation and fermions in a degenerate model. In these approximations, we can numerically solve the master equations describing the system's dynamics and thus we find the full counting statistics of the molecular modes. The full quantum dynamics calculations are complemented by mean-field calculations and short time perturbative expansions. While the molecule production rates are very similar in all three cases at this level of approximation, differences show up in the counting statistics of the molecular fields. The intermediate field of closed-channel molecules is, for short times, second-order coherent if the molecules are formed from two BECs or a Bose–Fermi mixture. They show counting statistics similar to a thermal field if formed from two normal Fermi gases. The coherence properties of molecule formation in two superfluid Fermi gases are intermediate between the two previous cases. In all cases, the final field of deeply bound molecules is found to be twice as noisy as that of the intermediate state. This is a consequence of its coupling to the lossy optical cavity in our model, which acts as an input port for quantum noise, much like the situation in an optical beam splitter.
We calculate the momentum distribution and the second-order correlation function in momentum space, ${g}^{(2)}(\mathbf{p},{\mathbf{p}}^{\ensuremath{'}},t)$ for molecular dimers that are coherently formed from an ultracold atomic gas by photoassociation or a Feshbach resonance. We investigate using perturbation theory how the quantum statistics of the molecules depend on the initial state of the atoms by considering three different initial states: a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), a normal Fermi gas of ultracold atoms, and a BCS-type superfluid Fermi gas. The cases of strong and weak coupling to the molecular field are discussed. It is found that BEC and BCS states give rise to an essentially coherent molecular field with a momentum distribution determined by the zero-point motion in the confining potential. On the other hand, a normal Fermi gas and the unpaired atoms in the BCS state give rise to a molecular field with a broad momentum distribution and thermal number statistics. It is shown that the first-order correlations of the molecules can be used to measure second-order correlations of the initial atomic state.
Abstract Recent advances in the precise control of ultracold atomic systems have led to the realisation of Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) and degenerate Fermi gases. An important challenge is to extend this level of control to more complicated molecular systems. One route for producing ultracold molecules is to form them from the atoms in a BEC. For example, a two-photon stimulated Raman transition in a 87Rb BEC has been used to produce 87Rb2 molecules in a single rotational-vibrational state1, and ultracold molecules have also been formed2 through photoassociation of a sodium BEC. Although the coherence properties of such systems have not hitherto been probed, the prospect of creating a superposition of atomic and molecular condensates has initiated much theoretical work3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Here we make use of a time-varying magnetic field near a Feshbach resonance8, 9, 10, 11, 12 to produce coherent coupling between atoms and molecules in a 85Rb BEC. A mixture of atomic and molecular states is created and probed by sudden changes in the magnetic field, which lead to oscillations in the number of atoms that remain in the condensate. The oscillation frequency, measured over a large range of magnetic fields, is in excellent agreement with the theoretical molecular binding energy, indicating that we have created a quantum superposition of atoms and diatomic molecules—two chemically different species.
In this dissertation we make use of the many analogies between quantum optical and ultra-cold atomic and molecular systems in order to study the coherence properties of the latter with methods of non-linear optics. We adapt the XFROG method that has first been developed for the characterization of ultra-short laser pulses, to the problem of reconstructing both amplitude and phase of the condensate wavefunction of a Bose-Einstein-condensate (BEC). Using the example of a vortex state we study the dependence of the reconstruction quality on the number of measurements and different sources of noise and we find that the method is feasible with available experimental technology. Exploiting the similarity between the coherent formation of ultra-cold molecules and optical sum frequency generation we devise a scheme for measuring second-order correlations of atoms through density measurements of molecules. We use perturbation theory in the cases of weak and strong coupling between atoms and molecules to calculate the momentum distribution of the molecules for the cases where the molecules are formed from a BEC, a normal Fermi gas and a Fermi gas with superfluidity in a Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) state. These calculations are supplemented by exact integrations of Schroedinger's equation in the single mode approximation for the molecules. Atoms in a BEC are collectively transformed into molecules with a narrow momentum distribution reflecting the long coherence length of atoms in the BEC. For the normal Fermi gas molecules are formed non-collectively and their momentum distribution is much wider. The momentum distribution of molecules from a BCS state looks similar to the BEC case: The superfluid component leads to collectively formed molecules with a very narrow momentum distribution and the unpaired fraction gives rise to non-collectively formed molecules with a much wider momentum distribution similar to the normal Fermi gas case. The counting statistics of the molecules from a BEC is that of a coherent state, from a normal Fermi gas it is that of a thermal state and the BCS case interpolates between the two.
Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) is considered under conditions of Feshbach resonance in two-atom collisions due to a coupling of atomic pair and resonant molecular states. The association of condensate atoms can form a molecular BEC, and the molecules can dissociate to pairs of entangled atoms in two-mode squeezed states. Both entanglement and squeezing can be applied to quantum measurements and information processing. The processes in the atom-molecule quantum gas are analyzed using two theoretical approaches. The mean-field one takes into account deactivating collisions of resonant molecules with other atoms and molecules, neglecting quantum fluctuations. This method allows analysis of inhomogeneous systems, such as expanding BEC. The non-mean-field approach -- the parametric approximation -- takes into account both deactivation and quantum fluctuations. This method allows determination of optimal conditions for formation of molecular BEC and describes Bose-enhanced dissociation of molecular BEC, as well as entanglement and squeezing of the non-condensate atoms.
We discuss the effect of a molecular Bose condensate on the energy of Fermi excitations in a trapped two-component atomic Fermi gas. The single-particle Green's functions can be approximated by the well-known BCS form, in both the BCS (Cooper pairs) and BEC (Feshbach resonance molecules) domains. The composite Bose order parameter Δ~{\tilde Δ}Δ~ describing bound states of two atoms and the Fermi chemical potential μμμ are calculated self-consistently. In the BEC regime characterized by μ<0μ<0μ<0, the Fermi quasiparticle energy gap is given by μ2+Δ~2\sqrt{μ^2+{\tilde Δ}^2}μ2+Δ~2​, instead of ∣Δ~∣|{\tilde Δ}|∣Δ~∣ in the BCS region, where μ>0μ>0μ>0. This shows up in the characteristic energy of atoms from dissociated molecules.