2020/06/08 by Robert D. Niederriter, Chandler Schlupf, Paul Hamilton
Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Frequency and Time Standards #Atom (system on chip) #Atomic physics #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #Condensed matter physics #Diffraction #Lattice (music) #Molecular physics #Optical lattice #Optics #Particle in a one-dimensional lattice #Physics #Quantum mechanics #Quantum optics and atomic interactions #Reciprocal lattice #Standing wave #Trapping #Ultracold atom #Wavelength #physics.atom-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physreva.102.051301
published as Phys. Rev. A 102, 051301 (2020) · 6+2 pages, 4 figures
arxiv created 2020/06/08 · openalex publication_date 2020/11/09 · arxiv updated 2020/11/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We propose and demonstrate real-time subwavelength cavity QED measurements of the spatial distribution of atoms in an optical lattice. Atoms initially confined in one ``trap'' standing wave of an optical cavity mode are probed with a second ``probe'' standing wave. With frequencies offset by one free spectral range, the nodes of the trap fall on the antinodes of the probe in the \ensuremath≈104 lattice sites around the center of the cavity. This lattice site independent atom-cavity coupling enables high sensitivity detection of atom dynamics even with atoms spread over many lattice sites. To demonstrate, we measure the temperature of 20--70\phantom\rule4pt0ex\ensuremathμK atom ensembles in <10\phantom\rule4pt0ex\ensuremathμs by monitoring their expansion by \ensuremath≈100 nm after sudden release from the trap lattice. Atom-cavity coupling imprints the atom dynamics on the probe transmission. The technique will enable improved nondestructive detection of Bloch oscillations and other atom dynamics in optical lattices.