An Optomechanical Elevator: Transport of a Bloch Oscillating Bose–Einstein Condensate up and down an Optical Lattice by Cavity Sideband Amplification and Cooling

Atoms

B. Prasanna Venkatesh⁴  Duncan H.J. O�ll²  Jonathan Goldwin¹  James F. Babb³ 

[1] Midlands Ultracold Atom Research Centre, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK;Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, ON L8S 4M1, Canada;;id="af1-atoms-04-00002">1Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics, San 31, Hyoja-dong, Nam-gu, Pohang, Gyeongbuk 790-784, Kor;Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics, San 31, Hyoja-dong, Nam-gu, Pohang, Gyeongbuk 790-784, Korea

关键词: cavity optomechanics;    cold atoms;    Bloch oscillations;   

DOI  :  10.3390/atoms4010002

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

In this paper we give a new description, in terms of optomechanics, of previous work on the problem of an atomic Bose–Einstein condensate interacting with the optical lattice inside a laser-pumped optical cavity and subject to a bias force, such as gravity. An atomic wave packet in a tilted lattice undergoes Bloch oscillations; in a high-finesse optical cavity the backaction of the atoms on the light leads to a time-dependent modulation of the intracavity lattice depth at the Bloch frequency which can in turn transport the atoms up or down the lattice. In the optomechanical picture, the transport dynamics can be interpreted as a manifestation of dynamical backaction-induced sideband damping/amplification of the Bloch oscillator. Depending on the sign of the pump-cavity detuning, atoms are transported either with or against the bias force accompanied by an up- or down-conversion of the frequency of the pump laser light. We also evaluate the prospects for using the optomechanical Bloch oscillator to make continuous measurements of forces by reading out the Bloch frequency. In this context, we establish the significant result that the optical spring effect is absent and the Bloch frequency is not modified by the backaction.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
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