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arXiv:quant-ph/0610107 · Physical Review A

Nondestructive interferometric characterization of an optical dipole trap

Plamen G. Petrov, Daniel Oblak, Carlos L. Garrido Alzar, Niels Kjærgaard, Eugene Simon Polzik

Published Mar 6, 2007• 29 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

A method for nondestructive characterization of a dipole-trapped atomic sample is presented. It relies on a measurement of the phase shift imposed by cold atoms on an optical pulse that propagates through a free-space Mach-Zehnder interferometer. Using this technique we are able to determine, with very good accuracy, relevant trap parameters such as the atomic sample temperature, trap oscillation frequencies, and loss rates. Another important feature is that our method is faster than conventional absorption or fluorescence techniques, allowing the combination of high-dynamical range measurements and a reduced number of spontaneous emission events per atom.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.75.033803

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A method for nondestructive characterization of a dipole-trapped atomic sample is presented. It relies on a measurement of the phase shift imposed by cold atoms on an optical pulse that propagates through a free-space Mach-Zehnder interferometer. Using this technique we are able to determine, with very good accuracy, relevant trap parameters such as the atomic sample temperature, trap oscillation frequencies, and loss rates. Another important feature is that our method is faster than conventional absorption or fluorescence techniques, allowing the combination of high-dynamical range measurements and a reduced number of spontaneous emission events per atom.
We demonstrate a direct, fluorescence-free measurement of the oscillation frequency of cold atoms in an optical dipole trap based on a high-finesse optical cavity strongly coupled to atoms. The parametric heating spectra of the trapped atoms are obtained by recording the transmitted photons from the cavity with the trap depth is modulated by different frequency. Moreover, in our method the oscillation can be observed directly in the time scale. Being compared to the conventional fluorescence-dependent method, our approach avoids uncertainties associated with the illuminating light and auxiliary imaging optics. This method has the potential application of determining the motion of atoms with stored quantum bits or degenerate gases without destroying them.
We measure the ac Stark shifts of the $5{S}_{1/2},F=2\ensuremath{\rightarrow}5{P}_{3/2},{F}^{\ensuremath{'}}=3$ transitions of individual optically trapped 87{}^{87}87Rb atoms using a nondestructive detection technique that allows us to measure the fluorescent signal of one and the same atom for over 60 s. These measurements allow the efficient and rapid characterization of single-atom traps that is required for many coherent quantum information protocols. Although this method is demonstrated using a single-atom trap, the concept is readily extended to resolvable atomic arrays.
This thesis presents experiments concerning the preparation and manipulation of single neutral atoms in optical traps. The experimental setup as well as the properties of the optical dipole trap are described. The examination and control of all trapping parameters and heating effects is a prerequisite for the future realization of quantum gates. A magneto-optical trap captures and cools down a few cesium atoms. By efficiently detecting their fluorescence, we are able to determine their exact number. They are then transferred without loss into a standing-wave optical dipole trap. The temperature of the atoms in this trap is measured using two methods which are devised to work with small numbers of atoms: By adiabatically lowering the trap depth, an energy-selective loss of atoms is obtained, which yields the energy distribution of the atoms in the trap. Alternatively, the temperature is inferred from the size of the cloud and from the oscillation frequencies of the atoms in the dipole trap. The oscillation frequencies are determined using resonant and parametric excitation. Various intrinsic as well as technical heating mechanisms in the dipole trap are examined experimentally and theoretically. Finally, the setup of a miniature ultra-high finesse optical resonator is presented, which will be used to couple two trapped atoms via the exchange of a photon. The optical resonance frequency of the resonator is successfully stabilized to the atomic transition by an electronic servo loop.
Ultracold neutral atoms confined in optical dipole traps have important applications in quantum computation and information processing, quantum simulators of interacting-many-body systems and atomic frequency metrology. While optical dipole traps are powerful tools for cold atom experiments, the energy level structures of the trapped atoms are shifted by the trapping field, and it is important to characterize these shifts in order to accurately manipulate and control the quantum state of the system.\n\nIn order to measure the light shifts, we have designed a system that allows us to reliably trap individual 87Rb atoms. A non-destructive detection technique is employed so that the trapped atoms can be continuously observed for over 100 seconds. Single atom spectroscopy, trap frequency measurements, and temperature measurements are performed on single atoms in a single focus trap and small number of atoms in a 1D optical lattice in order to characterize the trapping environment, the perturbed energy level structures, and the probe-induced heating.\n\nIn the second part of the thesis, we demonstrate deterministic delivery of an array of individual atoms to an optical cavity and selective addressability of individual atoms in a 1D optical conveyor, which serves as a potential candidate for scalable quantum information processing. The experiment is extended to a dual lattice system coupled to a single cavity with the capability of independent lattice control and addressability. The mutual interactions of atoms in different lattices mediated by a common cavity field are demonstrated. A semi-classical model in the many-atom regime based on the Jaynes-Cummings model is developed to describe the system that is in good qualitative agreement with the data. This work provides a foundation for developing multi-qubit quantum information experiments with a dual lattice cavity system.
We present a brief overview of optical trapping experiments of individual neutral atoms. Then we describe in more details an experiment using a very small optical dipole trap, that is designed to store and manipulate individual atoms. Due to the very small dipole trap volume, a "collisional blockade" mechanism locks the average number of trapped atoms on the value 0.5 over a large range of loading rates. We study this regime experimentally, and we describe methods to measure the oscillation frequencies and the temperature of a single atom in the trap with a high accuracy.