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Journal ArticleDOI

Novel Optical Trap of Atoms with a Doughnut Beam

23 Jun 1997-Physical Review Letters (American Physical Society)-Vol. 78, Iss: 25, pp 4713-4716
TL;DR: In this article, a Laguerre-Gaussian (doughnut) beam whose frequency is blue detuned to the atomic transition was used to trap neutral atoms in the dark core of the doughnut beam with the help of two additional laser beams.
Abstract: We have constructed a novel optical trap for neutral atoms by using a Laguerre-Gaussian (doughnut) beam whose frequency is blue detuned to the atomic transition. Laser-cooled rubidium atoms are trapped in the dark core of the doughnut beam with the help of two additional laser beams which limit the atomic motion along the optical axis. About ${10}^{8}$ atoms are initially loaded into the trap, and the lifetime is 150 ms. Because the atoms are confined at a point in a weak radiation field in the absence of any external field, ideal circumstances are provided for precision measurements. The trap opens the way to a simple technique for atom manipulation, including Bose-Einstein condensation of gaseous atoms.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, it was shown that if every polarization vector rotates, the light has spin; if the phase structure rotates and if a light has orbital angular momentum (OAM), the light can be many times greater than the spin.
Abstract: As they travel through space, some light beams rotate. Such light beams have angular momentum. There are two particularly important ways in which a light beam can rotate: if every polarization vector rotates, the light has spin; if the phase structure rotates, the light has orbital angular momentum (OAM), which can be many times greater than the spin. Only in the past 20 years has it been realized that beams carrying OAM, which have an optical vortex along the axis, can be easily made in the laboratory. These light beams are able to spin microscopic objects, give rise to rotational frequency shifts, create new forms of imaging systems, and behave within nonlinear material to give new insights into quantum optics.

2,508 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Rydberg atoms with principal quantum number $n⪢1$ have exaggerated atomic properties including dipole-dipole interactions that scale as ${n}^{4}$ and radiative lifetimes that scale at least{n}−3}$ as mentioned in this paper, and it was proposed a decade ago to implement quantum gates between neutral atom qubits.
Abstract: Rydberg atoms with principal quantum number $n⪢1$ have exaggerated atomic properties including dipole-dipole interactions that scale as ${n}^{4}$ and radiative lifetimes that scale as ${n}^{3}$. It was proposed a decade ago to take advantage of these properties to implement quantum gates between neutral atom qubits. The availability of a strong long-range interaction that can be coherently turned on and off is an enabling resource for a wide range of quantum information tasks stretching far beyond the original gate proposal. Rydberg enabled capabilities include long-range two-qubit gates, collective encoding of multiqubit registers, implementation of robust light-atom quantum interfaces, and the potential for simulating quantum many-body physics. The advances of the last decade are reviewed, covering both theoretical and experimental aspects of Rydberg-mediated quantum information processing.

2,156 citations


Cites background from "Novel Optical Trap of Atoms with a ..."

  • ...Several research groups have demonstrated atom trapping in this type of setup(Isenhower et al., 2009; Kuga et al., 1997; Kulin et al., 2001; Ozeri et al., 1999; Terraciano et al., 2008)....

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Book ChapterDOI
TL;DR: In this article, optical dipole traps for neutral atoms have been used for storage and trapping of charged and neutral atoms in the vast energy range from elementary particles to ultracold atomic quantum matter.
Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter discusses optical dipole traps for neutral atoms Methods for storage and trapping of charged and neutral particles have very often served as the experimental key to great scientific advances, covering physics in the vast energy range from elementary particles to ultracold atomic quantum matter It describes the basic physics of dipole trapping in fardetuned light, the typical experimental techniques and procedures, and the different trap types currently available, along with their specific features In the experiments discussed, optical dipole traps have already shown great promise for a variety of different applications Of particular importance is the trapping of atoms in the absolute internal ground state, which cannot be trapped magnetically In this state, inelastic binary collisions are completely suppressed for energetic reasons In this respect, an ultracold cesium gas represents a particularly interesting situation, because Bose–Einstein condensation seems attainable only for the absolute ground state Therefore, an optical trap may be the only way to realize a quantum-degenerate gas of Cs atoms Further, optical dipole traps can be seen as storage devices at the low end of the presently explorable energy scale Future experiments exploiting the particular advantages of these traps can reveal interesting new phenomena

1,231 citations

Book ChapterDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the orbital angular momentum of light, outlines the theoretical basis for the orbital momentum of beams within the paraxial approximation, and indicates the unapproximated theory, based on the full set of Maxwell equations.
Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the orbital angular momentum of light, outlines the theoretical basis for the orbital angular momentum of beams within the paraxial approximation, and indicates the unapproximated theory, based on the full set of Maxwell equations. The chapter discusses the problems associated with the separation and identification of spin and orbital contributions to the angular momentum properties of a field, the properties of Laguerre–Gaussian beams, which are physically realizable in the laboratory, and the ways in which the beams may be generated. It reviews the phenomenological behavior of beams possessing orbital angular momentum and their interaction with matter in bulk. The chapter also describes the measurement of the rotational Doppler shift, which arises when beams possessing orbital and spin angular momenta are rotated. The dipole-interaction of atoms with the orbital angular momentum of light beams is considered. The roles of spin and orbital angular momentum are also compared and contrasted.

994 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The concept of orbital angular momentum is now leading to new understanding of a wide range of phenomena, including fundamental processes in Bose-Einstein condensates, while the associated technologies have led to new applications in optical tweezing and microscopy as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Some 16 years ago, Allen et al. [Phys. Rev. A 45, 8185 (1992)] recognised that laser beams which carried an angular momentum additional to photon spin, could be realized in the laboratory. Such beams have helical phase fronts and so have an azimuthal component to the Poynting vector, which results in angular momentum along the beam axis. This orbital angular momentum, very often combined with spin to make optical angular momentum, has given rise to many developments. These range from optical spanners for driving micro-machines to high dimensional quantum entanglement and new opportunities in quantum information processing. The concept of orbital angular momentum is now leading to new understanding of a wide range of phenomena, including fundamental processes in Bose-Einstein condensates, while the associated technologies have led to new applications in optical tweezing and microscopy.

841 citations

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