Cold-atom confinement in an all-optical dark ring trap

2007/12/28 by Spencer E. Olson, Matthew L. Terraciano, Mark Bashkansky +1 · 4 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #Orbital Angular Momentum in Optics #Quantum optics and atomic interactions #quant-ph

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physreva.76.061404

published as Phys. Rev. A 76, 061404(R) (2007) · 5 pages, 4 figures

openalex publication_date 2007/12/28 · arxiv created 2008/02/08 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

We demonstrate confinement of ⁸⁵Rb atoms in a dark, toroidal optical trap. We use a spatial light modulator to convert a single blue-detuned Gaussian laser beam to a superposition of Laguerre-Gaussian modes that forms a ring-shaped intensity null bounded harmonically in all directions. We measure a 1∕e spin-relaxation lifetime of \ensuremath≈1.5\phantom\rule0.3em0exs for a trap detuning of 4.0\phantom\rule0.3em0exnm. For smaller detunings, a time-dependent relaxation rate is observed. We use these relaxation rate measurements and imaging diagnostics to optimize trap alignment in a programmable manner with the modulator. The results are compared with numerical simulations.

Citations

• Dynamically controlled toroidal and ring-shaped magnetic traps
• Large magnetic storage ring for Bose-Einstein condensates

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• Bose-Einstein condensation in dark power-law laser traps
• Coherent Ratchets in Driven Bose-Einstein Condensates
• Geometrically induced complex tunnelings for ultracold atoms carrying orbital angular momentum

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