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Home page > Research > Atomic physic > Cold Rubidium Atom Experiments > Atom optics using shaped laser beams

Atom optics using shaped laser beams

Michael MESTRE, Fabienne DIRY
Bruno VIARIS DE LESEGNO, Laurence PRUVOST
Dipole potentials are applied to mani-pulate cold atoms and to create atom optics components. Specific potential forms are obtained with laser beams, whose intensity profile is shaped by using a spatial light modulator.

  • Atom Optics components

    A cloud of cold Rb atoms is prepared in a magneto-optical trap. When the trapping beams are switched off, the cloud falls due to gravity. During the fall, the dipole potential created by a laser is applied in order to change the evolution of the cloud. After the interaction, the spatial distribution of the cloud is analysed via an induced fluorescence image.

  • Laser beam shaping

    The laser is shaped by a holographic method. The hologram is a phase-only spatial light modulator, configurable by a computer. Algorithms are developed to calculate adequate holograms.

  • Specific potential forms, examples
Atomic prism/biprism: the prism/biprism effect is generated with a triangular dipole potential. The deviation depends on the triangle slope and the pulse duration.

Achromatic atomic lens: to get an achromatic lens, the applied potential is parabolic. The sequence can include one or several laser pulses. The pulse durations and the intervals determine the magnification obtained by such an atomic lens.

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