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Controlling condensate collapse and expansion with an optical Feshbach resonance
Mi Yan1, B J DeSalvo1, B Ramachandhran1
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77251, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|August 29, 2014
Summary
We precisely controlled the expansion and collapse of strontium-88 Bose-Einstein condensates using optical Feshbach resonance. Tuning the laser light altered atomic interactions, leading to predictable changes in condensate dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Atomic physics
- Quantum optics
- Ultracold atoms
Background:
- Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) are quantum states of matter formed by cooling atoms to near absolute zero.
- Controlling the interactions between atoms in a BEC is crucial for quantum technologies.
- Optical Feshbach resonance offers a tunable method to modify atomic interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate precise control over the dynamics of a strontium-88 Bose-Einstein condensate.
- To investigate the effects of tunable atomic interactions on condensate behavior.
- To utilize optical Feshbach resonance for manipulating BEC collapse and expansion.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an optical Feshbach resonance near the strontium-88 (1)S(0)-(3)P(1) intercombination transition (689 nm).
- Modified the s-wave scattering length of strontium-88 atoms by up to ±10a(bg).
- Monitored changes in condensate size via time-of-flight measurements to infer scattering length modifications.
Main Results:
- Achieved significant control over condensate expansion and collapse by tuning the optical Feshbach resonance laser.
- Observed faster condensate expansion with blue detuning due to increased interaction energy.
- Induced condensate collapse with red detuning.
Conclusions:
- Optical Feshbach resonance provides a powerful tool for dynamically controlling ultracold atomic gases.
- The observed BEC dynamics align with predictions from the time-dependent nonlinear Gross-Pitaevskii equation.
- This control is essential for advancing quantum simulations and atom-based technologies.
