Single-Photon Atomic Cooling - Raizen Lab - The University of ...
Single-Photon Atomic Cooling - Raizen Lab - The University of ...
Single-Photon Atomic Cooling - Raizen Lab - The University of ...
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are switched <strong>of</strong>f causing non-optically trapped atoms to free fall under the<br />
influence <strong>of</strong> gravity, as in the last section. <strong>The</strong>n a beam resonant with the<br />
5 2 S1/2(F = 2) → 5 2 P3/2(F = 3) transition is used to blow away atoms not in<br />
the 5 2 S1/2(F = 1) manifold. <strong>The</strong> remaining atoms have undergone the single-<br />
photon cooling process. <strong>The</strong>n, the optical dipole beams are turned <strong>of</strong>f and<br />
a probe beam propagating along the ˆz-axis illuminates the atoms for 200µs.<br />
This beam is subsequently imaged onto a CCD camera and compared to a<br />
reference image taken with no atoms present. <strong>The</strong> result is integrated to yield<br />
the total number <strong>of</strong> atoms present in the sample (see Sec. 2.8.1). Temper-<br />
ature measurements obtained through the time-<strong>of</strong>-flight method are possible<br />
by varying the delay between the release <strong>of</strong> the cloud and illumination by the<br />
probe beam. Figure 4.24 shows an absorption image <strong>of</strong> approximately 1.5×10 5<br />
atoms trapped in the optical trough. In this image false color is used to repre-<br />
sent atomic density, magenta being the most dense. <strong>The</strong> rapid density fall-<strong>of</strong>f<br />
along the ˆx direction is due to the end caps. <strong>The</strong> density gradient along the ˆy<br />
direction is due to the geometry <strong>of</strong> the trough.<br />
To properly judge the performance <strong>of</strong> the single-photon cooling process,<br />
several effects introduced by the geometry <strong>of</strong> the optical trough should be<br />
considered. For example, the height <strong>of</strong> the pump beam above the trough vertex<br />
hp must be strategically set to optimize cooling. Figure 4.25 shows the effect <strong>of</strong><br />
hp on both the number <strong>of</strong> atoms transfered into the optical trough via single-<br />
photon cooling NO and the vertical temperature <strong>of</strong> the optically trapped atoms<br />
T (z)<br />
O . <strong>The</strong> temperature data was taken before atoms in the trough had time to<br />
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