Ab initio study on the electronic states and laser cooling of AlCl and AlBr

We investigate whether A1C1 and A1Br are promising candidates for laser cooling. We report new ab initio calculations on the ground state X1E＋ and two low-lying states （A1H and a3H） of A1C1 and A1Br. The calculated spectroscopic constants show good agreement with available theoretical and experimental results. We also obtain the permanent dipole moments （PDMs） curve at multi-reference configuration interaction （MRCI） level of theory. The transition properties of A1H and a3H states are predicted, including the transition dipole moments （TDMs）, Franck-Condon factors （FCFs）, radiative times and radiative width. The calculated radiative lifetimes are of the order of a nanosecond, implying that they are sufficiently short for rapid laser cooling. Both A1C1 and A1Br have highly diagonally distributed FCFs which are crucial requirement for molecular laser cooling. The results demonstrate the feasibility of laser cooling A1C1 and A1Br, and we propose laser cooling schemes for A1C1 and A1Br.

Sub-Doppler Laser Cooling of ^(23)Na in Gray Molasses on the D_2 Line

We report on the efficient gray molasses cooling of sodium atoms using the D2 optical transition at 589.1 nm.Thanks to the hyperfine split about 6Γ between |F’ = 2> and |F’ = 3> in the excited state 32 P3/2, this atomic transition is effective for the gray molasses cooling mechanism. Using this cooling technique, the atomic sample in F = 2 ground manifold is cooled from 700 μK to 56 μK in 3.5 ms. We observe that the loading efficiency into magnetic trap is increased due to the lower temperature and high phase space density of atomic cloud after gray molasses. This technique offers a promising route for the fast cooling of the sodium atoms in the F = 2 state.

Direct Laser Cooling Al^＋ Ion Optical Clocks

The Al^＋ ion optical clock is a very promising optical frequency standard candidate due to its extremely small black-body radiation shift. It has been successfully demonstrated with the indirect cooled, quantum-logic-based spectroscopy technique. Its accuracy is limited by second-order Doppler shift, and its stability is limited by the number of ions that can be probed in quantum logic processing. We propose a direct laser cooling scheme of AI＋ ion optical clocks where both the stability and accuracy of the clocks are greatly improved. In the proposed scheme, two Al^＋ traps are utilized. The first trap is used to trap a large number of Al^＋ ions to improve the stability of the clock laser, while the second trap is used to trap a single Al^＋ ion to provide the ultimate accuracy. Both traps are cooled with a continuous wave 167nm laser. The expected clock laser stability can reach 9.0 × 10^-17/√τ. For the second trap, in addition to 167nm laser Doppler cooling, a second stage pulsed 234nm two-photon cooling laser is utilized to further improve the accuracy of the clock laser. The total systematic uncertainty can be reduced to about 1 × 10^-18. The proposed Al^＋ ion optical clock has the potential to become the most accurate and stable optical clock.

BaF radical： A promising candidate for laser cooling and magneto-optical trapping

Recently, there have been great interest and advancement in the field of laser cooling and magneto-optical trapping of molecules. The rich internal structure of molecules naturally lends themselves to extensive and exciting applications. In this paper, the radical 138Ba19F, as a promising candidate for laser cooling and magneto-optical trapping, is discussed in detail.The highly diagonal Franck-Condon factors between theX2∑＋1/2and A2∏1/2states are first confirmed with three different methods. Afterwards, with the effective Hamiltonian approach and irreducible tensor theory, the hypertine structure of theX2∑＋1/2state is calculated accurately. A scheme for laser cooling is given clearly. Besides, the Zeeman effects of the upper （ A2∏1/2）andlower（X2∑＋1/2）levels are also studied, and their respective g factors are obtained under a weak magnetic field. Its large g factor of the upper stateA2∏1/2is advantageous for magneto-optical trapping. Finally, by studying Stark effect of BaFin theX2∑＋1/2, we investigate the dependence of the internal effective electric field on the applied electric field. It is suggested that such a laser-cooled BaF is also a promising candidate for precision measurement of electron electric dipole moment.

Engineering steady-state entanglement for two atoms held in separate cavities through laser cooling

We propose a scheme to prepare the steady-state entanglement for two atoms, which are held in separate cavities that are coupled through a short optical fiber or optical resonator. The entangled steady-state with a high fidelity can be achieved even with a low cooperativity parameter, by making use of the driving laser fields. Such a cooling mechanism is based on a resonant laser pump of the unwanted ground states to the excited states, which finally decay to the desired steady-state.

Enhanced Laser Cooling of Rare-Earth-Ion-Doped Glass Containing Nanometer-Sized Metallic Particles

The enhanced laser cooling performance of rare-earth-ions-doped glasses containing small particles is predicted. This is achieved by the enhancement of local field around rare earth ions, owing to the surface plasmon resonance of small metallic particles. The role of energy transfer between ions and the particle is theoretical discussed. Depending on the particle size and the ion emission quantum efficiency, the enhancement of the absorption and the fluorescence is predicted. Moreover, taking Yb^3＋-doped ZBLAN as example, the cooling power and heat-light converting efficiency are calculated. It is finally concluded that the absorption and the fluorescence are greatly enhanced in these composite materials, the cooling power is increased compared to the bulk material.

Laser cooling of CH molecule: Insights from ab initio study

The feasibility of laser cooling a CH molecule is investigated theoretically by employing the ab initio method. The potential energy curves for the five ∧-S states and eight Ω states of CH are determined by the multi-reference configuration interaction with the Davidson corrections（MRCI＋Q） level of theory. The results agree well with the available experimental data and other theoretical values. Also, the permanent dipole moments and transition dipole moments of the CH molecule are calculated at the multi-reference configuration interaction（MRCI） level. We find highly diagonally distributed FranckCondon factors（f00 = 0.9950 and 0.9998） and branching ratios（R00 = 0.983 and 0.993） for the A^2△→ X2Π and C^2∑^＋→X^2Π transitions. Moreover, the values of suitable radiative lifetime τ of the A2 A and C^2∑^＋ states are evaluated to be9.64×10^-7 s and 2.02×10^-7 s, respectively, for rapid laser cooling. A scheme for laser cooling the CH molecule is designed. In the proposed cooling scheme, three wavelengths for A^2△→X^2Π and C^2∑^＋→X^2Π transitions are used, and the main pump lasers are λ00=430.86 nm and 313.45 nm, respectively. The feasibility of laser cooling the CH molecules is demonstrated for each of these schemes, and this study offers a theoretical basis for experimental research into preparation of cold CH molecules.

Simulation and experiment of the cooling effect of trapped ion by pulsed laser

We investigate the process of pulsed laser cooling using a self-constructed molecular dynamics simulation(MDSimulation)program.We simulate the Doppler cooling process and pulsed laser Doppler cooling process of a single^(40)Ca^(+)ion,and the comparison with the experimental results shows that this self-constructed MD-Simulation program works well in the weak laser intensity situation.Furthermore,we analyze the pulsed laser Doppler cooling process of a single^(27)Al^(+)ion.This program can be used to analyze the molecular dynamic process of various situations of Doppler cooling in an ion trap,which could give predictions and experimental guidance.

Simple and robust method for rapid cooling of 87Rb to quantum degeneracy

We demonstrate a simple and fast way to produce 87Rb Bose–Einstein condensates. A digital optical phase lock loop(OPLL) board is introduced to lock and adjust the frequency of the trap laser, which simplifies the optical design and improves the experimental efficiency. We collect atoms in a magneto-optical trap, then compress the cloud and cut off hot atoms by rf knife in a magnetic quadrupole trap. The atom clouds are then transferred into a spatially mode-matched optical dipole trap by lowering the quadrupole field gradient. Our system reliably produces a condensate with 2 × 106 atoms every7.5 s. The compact optical design and rapid preparation speed of our system will open the gate for mobile quantum sensing.

Theoretical study on isotope separation of an ytterbium atomic beam by laser deflection

Isotope separation by laser deflecting an atomic beam is analyzed theoretically. Interacting with a tilted one- dimensional optical molasses, an ytterbium atomic beam is split into multi-beams with different isotopes like 172yb, Jv3yb, and J74yb. By using the numerical calculation, the dependences of the splitting angle on the molasses laser intensity and detuning are studied, and the optimal parameters for the isotope separation are also investigated. Furthermore, the isotope separation efficiency and purity are estimated. Finally a new scheme for the efficient isotope separation is proposed. These findings will give a guideline for simply obtaining pure isotopes of various elements.

Exact results on cavity cooling in a system of a two-level atom and a cavity field

Using the algebraic dynamical method, this paper investigates the laser cooling of a moving two-level atom coupled to a cavity field. Analytical solutions of optical forces and the cooling temperatures are obtained. Considering Rb atoms as an example, it finds that the numerical results are relevant to the recent experimental laser cooling investigations.

Broadband Vibrational Cooling of Cold Cesium Molecules： Theory and Experiments

The use of a broadband, frequency shaped femtosecond laser on translationally cold cesium molecules has recently demonstrated to be a very efficient method of cooling also the vibrational degree of freedom. A sample of cold molecules, initially distributed over several vibrational levels, has thus been transfered into a single selected vibrational level of the singlet X^1∑g ground electronic state. Our method is based on repeated optical pumping by laser light with a spectrum broad enough to excite all populated vibrational levels but limited in its frequency bandwidth with a spatial light modulator. In such a way we are able to eliminate transitions from the selected level, in which molecules accumulate. In this paper we briefly report the main experimental results and then address, in a detailed way by computer simulations, the perspectives for a ＂complete＂ cooling of the molecules, including also the rotational degree of freedom. Since the pumping process strongly depends on the relative shape of the ground and excited potential curves, ro-vibrational cooling through different excited states is theoretically compared.

Quantum feedback cooling of two trapped ions

We present a sub-Doppler cooling scheme of a two-trapped-ion crystal by quantum feedback control method. In the scheme, we obtain the motional information by continuously measuring the spontaneous emission photons from one single ion of the crystal, and then apply a feedback force to cool the whole chain down.We derive the cooling dynamics of the cooling scheme using quantum feedback theory and quantum regression theorem. The result shows that with experimentally achievable parameters, our scheme can achieve lower temperature and faster cooling rate than Doppler cooling.

Ground state cooling of an optomechanical resonator with double quantum interference processes

We present a cooling scheme with a tripod configuration atomic ensemble trapped in an optomechanical cavity.With the employment of two different quantum interference processes,our scheme illustrates that it is possible to cool a resonator to its ground state in the strong cavity-atom coupling regime.Moreover,with the assistance of one additional energy level,our scheme takes a larger cooling rate to realize the ground state cooling.In addition,this scheme is a feasible candidate for experimental applications.

Kinetic theory of (2+4)-level atom in σ^+ σ^-laser fields

The kinetic theory of （2＋4）-level atoms in σ^＋ -σ^- laser fields is presented. We systemically discuss friction coefficient, momentum diffusion tensor and atomic temperature based on the Fokker-Planck equation. This cooling system is much like that of a （1＋3）-level atom, and the temperature is still limited to the Doppler temperature. Since this cooling system has not been investigated before, this work may be regarded as a necessary complement to the laser cooling theory.

Efficient loading of ultracold sodium atoms in an optical dipole trap from a high power fiber laser

We report on a research of the loading of ultracold sodium atoms in an optical dipole trap,generated by two beams from a high power fiber laser.The effects of optical trap light power on atomic number,temperature and phase space density are experimentally investigated.A simple theory is proposed and it is in good accordance with the experimental results of the loaded atomic numbers.In a general estimation,an optimal value for each beam with a power of 9 W from the fiber laser is achieved.Our results provide a further understanding of the loading process of optical dipole trap and laid the foundation for generation of a sodium Bose–Einstein condensation with an optical dipole trap.

Analysis of mid-spatial frequency wavefront distortions from a liquid-cooled flash-lamp pumped Nd:phosphate laser amplifier

Mid-spatial frequency wavefront deformation can be deleterious for the operation of high-energy laser systems. When fluid cooled high-repetition-rate amplifiers are used, the coolant flow is likely to induce such detrimental mid-spatial frequency wavefront deformations. Here, we describe the design and performance of a 90 mm × 90 mm aperture, liquid-cooled Nd:phosphate split-slab laser amplifier pumped by flash-lamps. The performance of the system is evaluated in terms of wavefront aberration and gain at repetition rates down to 1 shot per minute. The results show that this single cooled split-slab system exhibits low wavefront distortions in the medium to large period range, compatible with a focus on target, and despite the use of liquid coolant traversed by both pump and amplified wavelengths. This makes it a potential candidate for applications in large high-energy laser facilities.

Micro-Gal level gravity measurements with cold atom interferometry

Developments of the micro-Gal level gravimeter based on atom interferometry are reviewed, and the recent progress and results of our group are also presented. Atom interferometric gravimeters have shown high resolution and accuracy for gravity measurements. This kind of quantum sensor has excited world-wide interest for both practical applications and fundamental research.

A cold ^(87)Rb atomic beam

We demonstrate an experimental setup for the production of a beam source of cold 87Rb atoms. The atoms are extracted from a trapped cold atomic cloud in an unbalanced three-dimensional magneto-optical trap. Via a radiation pressure difference generated by a specially designed leak tunnel along one trapping laser beam, the atoms are pushed out continuously with low velocities and a high flux. The most-probable velocity in the beam is varied from 9 m/s to 19 m/s by varying the detuning of the trapping laser beams in the magneto-optical trap and the flux can be tuned up to 4× 10^9 s-1 by increasing the intensity of the trapping beams. We also present a simple model for describing the dependence of the beam performance on the magneto optical trap trapping laser intensity and the detuning.

Clock-transition spectrum of ^(171)Yb atoms in a one-dimensional optical lattice

An optical atomic clock with 171yb atoms is devised and tested. By using a two-stage Doppler cooling technique, the 171Yb atoms are cooled down to a temperature of 6 ± 3 μK, which is close to the Doppler limit. Then, the cold 171Yb atoms are loaded into a one-dimensional optical lattice with a wavelength of 759 nm in the Lamb-Dicke regime. Furthermore, these cold 171yb atoms are excited from the ground-state 1S0 to the excited-state 3P0 by a clock laser with a wavelength of 578 nm. Finally, the 1S0-3P0 clock-transition spectrum of these 171yb atoms is obtained by measuring the dependence of the population of the ground-state 1 S0 upon the clock-laser detuning.