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DOE OSTI2023

Robust atom optics for Bragg atom interferometry

Multi-photon Bragg diffraction is a powerful method for fast, coherent momentum transfer of atom waves. However, laser noise, Doppler detunings, and cloud expansion limit its efficiency in large momentum transfer (LMT) pulse sequences. We present simulation studies of robust Bragg pulses developed through numerical quantum optimal control. Optimized pulse performance under noise and cloud inhomogeneities is analyzed and compared to analogous Gaussian and adiabatic rapid passage pulses in simulated LMT Mach–Zehnder interferometry sequences. The optimized pulses maintain robust population transfer and phase response over a broader range of noise, resulting in superior contrast in LMT sequences with thermal atom clouds and intensity inhomogeneities. Large optimized LMT sequences use lower pulse area than Gaussian pulses, making them less susceptible to spontaneous emission loss. The optimized sequences maintain over five times better contrast with tens of momentum separation and offer more improvement with greater LMT. Such pulses could allow operation of Bragg atom interferometers with unprecedented sensitivity, improved contrast, and hotter atom sources.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2013

Optical atomic magnetometer

An optical atomic magnetometers is provided operating on the principles of nonlinear magneto-optical rotation. An atomic vapor is optically pumped using linearly polarized modulated light. The vapor is then probed using a non-modulated linearly polarized light beam. The resulting modulation in polarization angle of the probe light is detected and used in a feedback loop to induce self-oscillation at the resonant frequency.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2013

Optical atomic magnetometer

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

DOE OSTI2022

Atom Interferometry with Floquet Atom Optics

Floquet engineering offers a compelling approach for designing the time evolution of periodically driven systems. We implement a periodic atom-light coupling to realize Floquet atom optics on the strontium 1 S 0 - 3 P 1 transition. These atom optics reach pulse efficiencies above 99.4% over a wide range of frequency offsets between light and atomic resonance, even under strong driving where this detuning is on the order of the Rabi frequency. Moreover, we use Floquet atom optics to compensate for differential Doppler shifts in large momentum transfer atom interferometers and achieve state-of-the-art momentum separation in excess of 400 ℏ⁢k. In conclusion, this technique can be applied to any two-level system at arbitrary coupling strength, with broad application in coherent quantum control.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2016

Laser based analysis using a passively Q-switched laser employing analysis electronics and a means for detecting atomic optical emission of the laser media

A device for Laser based Analysis using a Passively Q-Switched Laser comprising an optical pumping source optically connected to a laser media. The laser media and a Q-switch are positioned between and optically connected to a high reflectivity mirror (HR) and an output coupler (OC) along an optical axis. The output coupler (OC) is optically connected to the output lens along the optical axis. A means for detecting atomic optical emission comprises a filter and a light detector. The optical filter is optically connected to the laser media and the optical detector. A control system is connected to the optical detector and the analysis electronics. The analysis electronics are optically connected to the output lens. The detection of the large scale laser output production triggers the control system to initiate the precise timing and data collection from the detector and analysis.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

DOE OSTI2022

Optical atomic clock aboard an Earth-orbiting space station (OACESS): enhancing searches for physics beyond the standard model in space

We present a concept for a high-precision optical atomic clock (OAC) operating on an Earth-orbiting space station. This pathfinder science mission will compare the space-based OAC with one or more ultra-stable terrestrial OACs to search for space-time-dependent signatures of dark scalar fields that manifest as anomalies in the relative frequencies of station-based and ground-based clocks. This opens the possibility of probing models of new physics that are inaccessible to purely ground-based OAC experiments where a dark scalar field may potentially be strongly screened near Earth's surface. This unique enhancement of sensitivity to potential dark matter candidates harnesses the potential of space-based OACs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Observation of millihertz-level cooperative Lamb shifts in an optical atomic clock

Collective couplings of atomic dipoles to a shared electromagnetic environment produce a wide range of many-body phenomena. We report on the direct observation of resonant electric dipole-dipole interactions in a cubic array of atoms in the many-excitation limit. The interactions produce spatially dependent cooperative Lamb shifts when spectroscopically interrogating the millihertz-wide optical clock transition in strontium-87. We show that the ensemble-averaged shifts can be suppressed below the level of evaluated systematic uncertainties for optical atomic clocks. Additionally, we demonstrate that excitation of the atomic dipoles near a Bragg angle can enhance these effects by nearly an order of magnitude compared with nonresonant geometries. Our work demonstrates a platform for precise studies of the quantum many-body physics of spins with long-range interactions mediated by propagating photons.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗

DOE OSTI2015

Kinetics of an oxygen – iodine active medium with iodine atoms optically pumped on the {sup 2}P{sub 1/2} – {sup 2}P{sub 3/2} transition

The kinetics of the processes occurring in an O{sub 2} – I{sub 2} – He – H{sub 2}O gas flow in which photodissociation of molecular iodine at a wavelength close to 500 nm and excitation of atomic iodine on the {sup 2}P{sub 1/2} – {sup 2}P{sub 3/2} transition by narrow-band radiation near 1315 nm are implemented successively has been analysed. It is shown that implementation of these processes allows one to form an oxygen – iodine medium with a high degree of dissociation of molecular iodine and a relative content of singlet oxygen O{sub 2}(a{sup 1}Δ) exceeding 10%. Having formed a supersonic gas flow with a temperature ∼100 K from this medium, one can reach a small-signal gain of about 10{sup -2} cm{sup -1} on the {sup 2}P{sub 1/2} – {sup 2}P{sub 3/2} transition in iodine atoms. The specific power per unit flow cross section in the oxygen – iodine laser with this active medium may reach ∼100 W cm{sup -2}. (active media)

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2016

Intra- and inter-atomic optical transitions of Fe, Co, and Ni ferrocyanides studied using first-principles many-electron calculations

We have investigated the electronic structures and optical properties of Fe, Co, and Ni ferrocyanide nanoparticles using first-principles relativistic many-electron calculations. The overall features of the theoretical absorption spectra for Fe, Ni, and Co ferrocyanides calculated using a first-principles many-electron method well reproduced the experimental one. The origins of the experimental absorption spectra were clarified by performing a configuration analysis based on the many-electron wave functions. For Fe ferrocyanide, the experimental absorption peaks originated from not only the charge-transfer transitions from Fe{sup 2+} to Fe{sup 3+} but also the 3d-3d intra-transitions of Fe{sup 3+} ions. In addition, the spin crossover transition of Fe{sup 3+} predicted by the many-electron calculations was about 0.24 eV. For Co ferrocyanide, the experimental absorption peaks were mainly attributed to the 3d-3d intra-transitions of Fe{sup 2+} ions. In contrast to the Fe and Co ferrocyanides, Ni ferrocyanide showed that the absorption peaks originated from the 3d-3d intra-transitions of Ni{sup 3+} ions in a low-energy region, while from both the 3d-3d intra-transitions of Fe{sup 2+} ions and the charge-transfer transitions from Fe{sup 2+} to Ni{sup 3+} in a high-energy region. These results were quite different from those of density-functional theory (DFT) calculations. The discrepancy between the results of DFT calculations and those of many-electron calculations suggested that the intra- and inter-atomic transitions of transition metal ions are significantly affected by the many-body effects of strongly correlated 3d electrons.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2014

Note: High turn density magnetic coils with improved low pressure water cooling for use in atom optics

We describe a magnetic coil design utilizing concentrically wound electro-magnetic insulating (EMI) foil (25.4 μm Kapton backing and 127 μm thick layers). The magnetic coils are easily configurable for different coil sizes, while providing large surfaces for low-pressure (0.12 bar) water cooling. The coils have turn densities of ∼5 mm{sup −1} and achieve a maximum of 377 G at 2.1 kW driving power, measured at a distance 37.9 mm from the axial center of the coil. The coils achieve a steady-state temperature increase of 36.7°C/kW.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2012

Dependence of Rydberg-Atom Optical Lattices on the Angular Wave Function

Not Available

Anderson, S. E.↗

DOE OSTI2018

Atom Pairing in Optical Superlattices

We study the pairing of fermions in a one-dimensional lattice of tunable double-well potentials using radio-frequency spectroscopy. The spectra reveal the coexistence of two types of atom pairs with different symmetries. Our measurements are in excellent quantitative agreement with a theoretical model, obtained by extending the Green’s function method of Orso et al., [Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 060402 (2005)], to a bichromatic 1D lattice with non-zero harmonic radial confinement. The predicted spectra comprise hundreds of discrete transitions, with symmetry-dependent initial state populations and transition strengths. Our work provides an understanding of the elementary pairing states in a superlattice, paving the way for new studies of strongly interacting many-body systems.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2013

Optical Bragg, atomic Bragg and cavity QED detections of quantum phases and excitation spectra of ultracold atoms in bipartite and frustrated optical lattices

Ultracold atoms loaded on optical lattices can provide unprecedented experimental systems for the quantum simulations and manipulations of many quantum phases and quantum phase transitions between these phases. However, so far, how to detect these quantum phases and phase transitions effectively remains an outstanding challenge. In this paper, we will develop a systematic and unified theory of using the optical Bragg scattering, atomic Bragg scattering or cavity QED to detect the ground state and the excitation spectrum of many quantum phases of interacting bosons loaded in bipartite and frustrated optical lattices. The physically measurable quantities of the three experiments are the light scattering cross sections, the atom scattered clouds and the cavity leaking photons respectively. We show that the two photon Raman transition processes in the three detection methods not only couple to the density order parameter, but also the valence bond order parameter due to the hopping of the bosons on the lattice. This valence bond order coupling is very sensitive to any superfluid order or any valence bond (VB) order in the quantum phases to be probed. These quantum phases include not only the well-known superfluid and Mott insulating phases, but also other important phases such as various kinds of charge density waves (CDW), valence bond solids (VBS), and CDW-VBS phases with both CDW and VBS orders unique to frustrated lattices, and also various kinds of supersolids. We analyze respectively the experimental conditions of the three detection methods to probe these various quantum phases and their corresponding excitation spectra. We also address the effects of a finite temperature and a harmonic trap. We contrast the three scattering methods with recent in situ measurements inside a harmonic trap and argue that the two kinds of measurements are complementary to each other. The combination of both kinds of detection methods could be used to match the combination of Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), the Angle Resolved Photo Emission spectroscopy (ARPES) and neutron scattering in condensed matter systems, therefore achieve the putative goals of quantum simulations - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Develop a systematic and unified theory of various scattering experiments. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Discuss the optical Bragg, atomic Bragg and cavity QED detection methods. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Explore the detections of various quantum phases in various kinds of optical lattices. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Present the detections of valence bond order and the supersolid order. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Contrast the scattering methods with the in situ measurement.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2011

Spin-1 atoms in optical superlattices: Single-atom tunneling and entanglement

We examine spinor Bose-Einstein condensates in optical superlattices theoretically using a Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian that takes spin effects into account. Assuming that a small number of spin-1 bosons is loaded in an optical potential, we study single-particle tunneling that occurs when one lattice site is ramped up relative to a neighboring site. Spin-dependent effects modify the tunneling events in a qualitative and quantitative way. Depending on the asymmetry of the double well, different types of magnetic order occur, making the system of spin-1 bosons in an optical superlattice a model for mesoscopic magnetism. We use a double-well potential as a unit cell for a one-dimensional superlattice. Homogeneous and inhomogeneous magnetic fields are applied, and the effects of the linear and the quadratic Zeeman shifts are examined. We also investigate the bipartite entanglement between the sites and construct states of maximal entanglement. The entanglement in our system is due to both orbital and spin degrees of freedom. We calculate the contribution of orbital and spin entanglements and show that the sum of these two terms gives a lower bound for the total entanglement.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2011

Trapping Rydberg Atoms in an Optical Lattice

Rubidium Rydberg atoms are laser excited and subsequently trapped in a one-dimensional optical lattice (wavelength 1064 nm). Efficient trapping is achieved by a lattice inversion immediately after laser excitation using an electro-optic technique. The trapping efficiency is probed via analysis of the trap-induced shift of the two-photon microwave transition 50S{yields}51S. The inversion technique allows us to reach a trapping efficiency of 90%. The dependence of the efficiency on the timing of the lattice inversion and on the trap laser power is studied. The dwell time of 50D{sub 5/2} Rydberg atoms in the lattice is analyzed using lattice-induced photoionization.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2014

A plateau in the sensitivity of a compact optically pumped atomic magnetometer

In a compact optically pumped atomic magnetometer (OPAM), there is a plateau in the sensitivity where the dependence of the sensitivity on pumping power is small compared with that predicted by the uniform polarization model. The mechanism that generates this plateau was explained by numerical analysis. The distribution of spin polarization in the alkali metal cell of an OPAM was modeled using the Bloch equation incorporating a diffusion term and an equation for the attenuation of the pump beam. The model was well-fitted to the experimental results for a module with a cubic cell with 20 mm sides and pump and probe beams with 8 mm diameter. On the plateau, strong magnetic response was generated at the regions that were not illuminated directly by the intense pump beam, while at the same time spin polarization as large as 0.5 was maintained due to diffusion of the spin-polarized atoms. Thus, the sensitivity of the magnetometer monitored with a probe beam decreases only slightly with increasing pump beam intensity because the spin polarization under an intense pump beam is saturated. This plateau, which is characteristic of this type of magnetometer using a narrow pump and probe beams, can be used in arrays of magnetometers because it enables stable operation with little sensitivity fluctuation from changes in pump beam power.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2011

Observation of Doppler-free electromagnetically induced transparency in atoms selected optically with specific velocity

We observed an electromagnetically induced transparency signal in a four-level system with optically selected rubidium atoms at specific velocities in a room-temperature vaporized cell. Since the atoms behave like cold atoms in the selected atomic view, the observed signals coincide with a trapped atomic system. According to this result, we can observe Doppler-free signals, which correspond from 1.2 to 1.0 K in a Doppler-broadened medium. And the selected atoms have velocity components of {+-}(131 {+-} 3) MHz per wave number. Our experimental results can provide insight for research in cold media.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2016

Four-channel optically pumped atomic magnetometer for magnetoencephalography

We have developed a four-channel optically pumped atomic magnetometer for magnetoencephalography (MEG) that incorporates a passive diffractive optical element (DOE). The DOE allows us to achieve a long, 18-mm gradiometer baseline in a compact footprint on the head. Using gradiometry, the sensitivities of the channels are < 5 fT/Hz 1/2 , and the 3-dB bandwidths are approximately 90 Hz, which are both sufficient to perform MEG. Additionally, the channels are highly uniform, which offers the possibility of employing standard MEG post-processing techniques. As a result, this module will serve as a building block of an array for magnetic source localization.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗