Controllable double-well optical trap for cold atoms or molecules and its one-dimensional and two-dimensional optical lattices

Journal Article · Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2005 · Journal of the Optical Society of America. Part B, Optical Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1364/JOSAB.22.001737· OSTI ID:20696485

Xianming, Ji; Jianping, Yin ^[1]

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1. Key Laboratory for Optical and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Department of Physics, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062 (China)

We propose a novel, to our knowledge, scheme to form a controllable double-well optical dipole trap for cold atoms (or molecules) by using an optical system composed of a binary {pi}-phase plate and a lens illuminated by a plane light wave. We calculate the intensity distribution of the double-well trap and derive the analytical relationships between the characteristic parameters of the double-well trap (including geometric parameters, intensity distributions, and intensity gradients and their curvatures) and the relative aperture {beta} of the lens system. We also extend our controllable double-well trap to its trap array by using a binary {pi}-phase grating combined with an array of spherical microlenses. Our study shows that, if the {pi}-phase plate (or the {pi}-phase grating) is moved along the x direction, our double-well trap (or array of double-well ones) can continuously evolve to a single-well one (or an array of single-well ones) and vice versa, which can be used to study cold collisions between two atomic (or molecular) samples and atom interference with Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) in a double-well potential; to prepare quantum entanglement between two macroscopic atomic assembles, even to realize an all-optical double-well atomic (molecular) BEC (including an array of all-optical double-well BECs) by using optical-potential evaporative cooling; to form a novel optical lattice with a larger lattice constant; and so on.

• OSTI ID: 20696485
• Journal Information: Journal of the Optical Society of America. Part B, Optical Physics, Vol. 22, Issue 8; Other Information: DOI: 10.1364/JOSAB.22.001737; (c) 2005 Optical Society of America; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0740-3224
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
APERTURES
ATOM COLLISIONS
ATOMS
BOSE-EINSTEIN CONDENSATION
DIFFRACTION GRATINGS
DIPOLES
EVAPORATION
EVAPORATIVE COOLING
INTERFERENCE
LATTICE PARAMETERS
LENSES
MOLECULE COLLISIONS
MOLECULES
ONE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
OPTICAL SYSTEMS
POTENTIALS
SPHERICAL CONFIGURATION
TRAPS
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
VISIBLE RADIATION