Stuttgart 2012 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 34: Poster 1

Q 34.41: Poster

Tuesday, March 13, 2012, 16:30–19:00, Poster.I+II

Collective scattering into the mode of an optical cavity — Simone Bux¹, •Hannah Tomczyk¹, Dag Schmidt¹, Philippe Courteille², and Claus Zimmermann¹ — ¹Physikalisches Institut, Universität Tübingen — ²Instituto de Física de Sao Carlos, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brasilien

Since many years, it is proven that optical or microwave resonators influence the spontaneous emission of atomic samples by changing the mode in which the atoms can emit light. We use this effect to change the momentum distribution of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) in a controlled manner. In our experiment, a BEC is placed in the mode of an optical cavity. Shining a pump laser beam from the side on the BEC leads to scattering into the cavity mode and to the occupation of higher momentum states. Due to the narrow cavity line, the population can be controlled by the pump laser detuning [1]. A further goal is the realization of the subradiant state predicted in [2]. Once the system reaches this state, further scattering is suppressed and the population stays constant. Our experimental setup provides the necessary features. It would be one of the first evidences for subadiance with a large atom number.

[1] S. Bux, Ch. Gnahm, R. A. W. Maier, C. Zimmermann and Ph. W. Courteille, Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 203601 (2011).

[2] M. M. Cola, D. Bigerni and N. Piovella, Phys. Rev. A 79, 053622 (2009).