Nondestructive spatial heterodyne imaging of cold atoms

2000/09/26 by S. Kadlecek, Steven Kadlecek, J. Sebby +4 · 6 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Frequency and Time Standards #Atomic and Subatomic Physics Research #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #physics.atom-ph

paper · pdf · doi:10.1364/ol.26.000137

published as Optics Lett. 26, 137 (2001) · text+3 figures, submitted to Optics Letters

arxiv created 2000/09/26 · openalex publication_date 2001/02/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31

Abstract

We demonstrate a new method for nondestructive imaging of laser-cooled atoms. This spatial heterodyne technique forms a phase image by interfering a strong reference laser beam with a weak probe beam that passes through the cold atom cloud. The figure of merit equals or exceeds that of phase-contrast imaging, and the technique can be used over a wider range of spatial scales. We show images of a dark-spot magneto-optic trap taken with imaging fluences as low as 61 pJ/cm(2) at a detuning of 11? , resulting in 0.0004 photons scattered per atom.

Citations

• Observation of Bose-Einstein Condensation in a Dilute Atomic Vapor

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