No Arabic abstract
We introduce and implement an interferometric technique based on chirped femtosecond laser pulses and nonlinear optics. The interference manifests as a high-visibility (> 85%) phase-insensitive dip in the intensity of an optical beam when the two interferometer arms are equal to within the coherence length of the light. This signature is unique in classical interferometry, but is a direct analogue to Hong-Ou-Mandel quantum interference. Our technique exhibits all the metrological advantages of the quantum interferometer, but with signals at least 10^7 times greater. In particular we demonstrate enhanced resolution, robustness against loss, and automatic dispersion cancellation. Our interferometer offers significant advantages over previous technologies, both quantum and classical, in precision time delay measurements and biomedical imaging.
Ultracold atomic gases have been used extensively in recent years to realize textbook examples of condensed matter phenomena. Recently, phase transitions to ordered structures have been predicted for gases of highly excited, frozen Rydberg atoms. Such Rydberg crystals are a model for dilute metallic solids with tunable lattice parameters, and provide access to a wide variety of fundamental phenomena. We investigate theoretically how such structures can be created in four distinct cold atomic systems, by using tailored laser-excitation in the presence of strong Rydberg-Rydberg interactions. We study in detail the experimental requirements and limitations for these systems, and characterize the basic properties of small crystalline Rydberg structures in one, two and three dimensions.
We measure spectrally and spatially resolved high-order harmonics generated in argon using chirped multi-cycle laser pulses. Using a stable, high-repetition rate laser we observe detailed interference structures in the far-field. The structures are of two kinds; off-axis interference from the long trajectory only and on-axis interference including the short and long trajectories. The former is readily visible in the far-field spectrum, modulating both the spectral and spatial profile. To access the latter, we vary the chirp of the fundamental, imparting different phases on the different trajectories, thereby changing their relative phase. Using this method together with an analytical model, we are able to explain the on-axis behaviour and access the dipole phase parameters for the short ((alpha_s)) and long ((alpha_l)) trajectories. The extracted results compare very well with phase parameters calculated by solving the time-dependent Schrodinger equation. Going beyond the analytical model, we are also able to successfully reproduce the off-axis interference structure.
We investigate the electron quantum path interference effects during high harmonic generation in atomic gas medium driven by ultrashort chirped laser pulses. To achieve that, we identify and vary the different experimentally relevant control parameters of such a driving laser pulse influencing the high harmonic spectra. Specifically, the impact of the pulse duration, peak intensity and instantaneous frequency is studied in a self-consistent manner based on Lewenstein formalism. Simulations involving macroscopic propagation effects are also considered. The study aims to reveal the microscopic background behind a variety of interference patterns capturing important information both about the fundamental laser field and the generation process itself. The results provide guidance towards experiments with chirp control as a tool to unravel, explain and utilize the rich and complex interplay between quantum path interferences including the tuning of the periodicity of the intensity dependent oscillation of the harmonic signal, and the curvature of spectrally resolved Maker fringes.
Non-equilibrium physics is a particularly fascinating field of current research. Generically, driven systems are gradually heated up so that quantum effects die out. In contrast, we show that a driven central spin model including controlled dissipation in a highly excited state allows us to distill quantum coherent states, indicated by a substantial reduction of entropy. The model is experimentally accessible in quantum dots or molecules with unpaired electrons. The potential of preparing and manipulating coherent states by designed driving potentials is pointed out.
We report on the dynamics of ultracold collisions induced by near-resonant frequency-chirped light. A series of identical chirped pulses, separated by a variable delay, is applied to an ultracold sample of 85Rb, and the rate of inelastic trap-loss collisions is measured. For small detunings of the chirped light below the atomic resonance, we observe that the rate of collisions induced by a given pulse can be increased by the presence of an earlier pulse. We attribute this to the enhancement of short-range collisional flux by the long-range excitation of atom pairs to an attractive molecular potential. For larger detunings and short delays, we find that a leading pulse can suppress the rate of collisions caused by a following pulse. This is due to a depletion of short-range atom pairs by the earlier pulse. Comparison of our data to classical Monte-Carlo simulations of the collisions yields reasonable agreement.