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Single-Photon Atomic Cooling - Raizen Lab - The University of ...

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fE. Furthermore, assume that the conservative confining potential and the<br />

position <strong>of</strong> the one-way-wall is well known at all times during the cooling<br />

process. As shown in Fig. 1.7(b), as the one-way-wall is slowly swept towards<br />

a)<br />

0.4<br />

0.3<br />

fE 0.2<br />

0.1<br />

Energy Distribution<br />

2 4 6 8<br />

E/k B T<br />

b)<br />

photodetector<br />

spon.scattered<br />

photon<br />

x<br />

one-way-wall<br />

c)<br />

I pd<br />

trap<br />

center<br />

Reconstruction<br />

x<br />

ensemble<br />

edge<br />

Figure 1.7: (a) <strong>The</strong> initial energy distribution <strong>of</strong> a non-interacting atomic ensemble.<br />

(b) This ensemble is placed into a conservative trapping potential. As<br />

the one-way-wall sweeps through the ensemble it encounters the most energetic<br />

atoms first, which spontaneously scatter photons as they transit the barrier.<br />

A photodetector monitors the scattered light. (c) A plot <strong>of</strong> the photodetector<br />

signal Ipd as a function <strong>of</strong> the position <strong>of</strong> the one-way-wall x reconstructs the<br />

original energy distribution <strong>of</strong> the ensemble.<br />

the center <strong>of</strong> the confining potential, it first encounters the most energetic<br />

atom at a position where the atom has converted (nearly) all <strong>of</strong> its energy<br />

into potential energy. When the atom transits the one-way-wall it undergoes<br />

an irreversible process which involves the scattering <strong>of</strong> a spontaneous photon.<br />

Detection <strong>of</strong> this photon reveals the atom’s initial energy through knowledge<br />

<strong>of</strong> the location <strong>of</strong> the one-way-wall x at the time <strong>of</strong> scatter and the shape<br />

<strong>of</strong> the confining potential. By detecting and recording each spontaneously<br />

scattered photon as a function <strong>of</strong> the one-way-wall’s position with respect to<br />

the confining potential, the initial energy distribution can be reconstructed,<br />

as shown in Fig. 1.7(c). Of course, this sweep also has the effect <strong>of</strong> cooling<br />

18

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