2011/09/24 by Axel Kuhn, Kuhn, Axel, Hélène Perrin +5
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Atomic Physics (physics.atom-ph) #Atomic and Subatomic Physics Research #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #FOS: Physical sciences #Quantum Gases (cond-mat.quant-gas) #Quantum Information and Cryptography #Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1109.5237
openalex publication_date 2011/09/24 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We present a new and efficient implementation of Raman cooling of trapped atoms. It uses Raman pulses with an appropriate frequency chirp to realize a velocity selective excitation through a rapid adiabatic passage. This method allows to address in a single pulse a large number of non zero atomic velocity classes and it produces a nearly unity transfer efficiency. We demonstrate this cooling method using cesium atoms in a far-detuned crossed dipole trap. Three-dimensional cooling of 1 × 105 atoms down to 2 μK is performed in 100 ms. In this preliminary experiment the final atomic density is 1.3× 1012 at/cm3 (within a factor of 2) and the phase-space density increase over the uncooled sample is 20. Numerical simulations indicate that temperatures below the single photon recoil temperature should be achievable with this method.