Hannover 2010 – scientific programme
Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Downloads | Help
Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik
Q 8: Quantum Effects: Interference and Correlations II / Entanglement and Decoherence I
Q 8.7: Talk
Monday, March 8, 2010, 18:15–18:30, A 310
Single spontaneous emission inducing motional coherence of atoms — •Jiri Tomkovic1, Michael Schreiber1, Joachim Welte1, Jörg Schmiedmayer2, and Markus K. Oberthaler1 — 1Kirchhoff-Institut für Physik, Im Neuenheimer Feld 227, Heidelberg — 2Atominstitut der österreichischen Universitäten, Stadionallee 2, 1020 Wien
Spontaneous emission of a photon leads to a momentum transfer to the emitting atom resulting in an incoherent momentum distribution of an atomic ensemble. In case the atoms are close to a mirror, the situation can drastically change since directly emitted and reflected light can principally not be distinguished in certain directions. Thus at distances of few micrometers the spontaneous emission of a single photon leads to a coherent superposition of two momentum states of the atom. We will present our experimental results revealing the expected coherence.