Correlated motion of two atoms trapped in a single-mode cavity field
- Research Institute of Solid State Physics and Optics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 49, H-1525 Budapest (Hungary)
- Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstrasse 25, A-6020 Innsbruck (Austria)
We study the motion of two atoms trapped at distant positions in the field of a driven standing-wave high-Q optical resonator. Even without any direct atom-atom interaction the atoms are coupled through their position dependent influence on the intracavity field. For sufficiently good trapping and low cavity losses the atomic motion becomes significantly correlated and the two particles oscillate in their wells preferentially with a 90 deg. relative phase shift. The onset of correlations seriously limits cavity cooling efficiency, raising the achievable temperature to the Doppler limit. The physical origin of the correlation can be traced back to a cavity mediated crossfriction, i.e., a friction force on one particle depending on the velocity of the second particle. Choosing appropriate operating conditions allows for engineering these long range correlations. In addition this cross-friction effect can provide a basis for sympathetic cooling of distant trapped clouds.
- OSTI ID:
- 20645779
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. A, Vol. 70, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.70.013414; (c) 2004 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1050-2947
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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