Precision Measurement for Metastable Helium Atoms of the 413 nm Tune-Out Wavelength at Which the Atomic Polarizability Vanishes

We present the first measurement for helium atoms of the tune-out wavelength at which the atomic polarizability vanishes. We utilise a novel, highly sensitive technique for precisely measuring the effect of variations in the trapping potential of confined metastable ($2^{3}S_{1}$) helium atoms illuminated by a perturbing laser light field. The measured tune-out wavelength of 413.0938($9_{Stat.}$)($20_{Syst.}$) nm compares well with the value predicted by a theoretical calculation (413.02(9) nm) which is sensitive to finite nuclear mass, relativistic, and quantum electro-dynamic (QED) effects. This provides motivation for more detailed theoretical investigations to test QED.

Paired atom laser beams created via four-wave mixing

A method to create paired atom laser beams from a metastable helium atom laser via four-wave mixing is demonstrated. Radio frequency outcoupling is used to extract atoms from a Bose Einstein condensate near the center of the condensate and initiate scattering between trapped and untrapped atoms. The unequal strengths of the interactions for different internal states allows an energy-momentum resonance which leads to the creation of pairs of atoms scattered from the zero-velocity condensate. The resulting scattered beams are well separated from the main atom laser in the 2-dimensional transverse atom laser profile. Numerical simulations of the system are in good agreement with the observed atom laser spatial profiles, and indicate that the scattered beams are generated by a four-wave mixing process, suggesting that the beams are correlated.