Veselago lensing with ultracold atoms in an optical lattice

Veselago pointed out that electromagnetic wave theory allows for materials with a negative index of refraction, in which most known optical phenomena would be reversed. A slab of such a material can focus light by negative refraction, an imaging technique strikingly different from conventional posit...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2014-02
Main Authors: Leder, Martin, Grossert, Christopher, Weitz, Martin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Electromagnetic radiation
Matter waves
Optical lattices
Refraction
Refractivity
Rubidium
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Veselago pointed out that electromagnetic wave theory allows for materials with a negative index of refraction, in which most known optical phenomena would be reversed. A slab of such a material can focus light by negative refraction, an imaging technique strikingly different from conventional positive refractive index optics, where curved surfaces bend the rays to form an image of an object. Here we demonstrate Veselago lensing for matter waves, using ultracold atoms in an optical lattice. A relativistic, i.e. photon-like, dispersion relation for rubidium atoms is realized with a bichromatic optical lattice potential. We rely on a Raman \(\pi\)-pulse technique to transfer atoms between two different branches of the dispersion relation, resulting in a focusing completely analogous to the effect described by Veselago for light waves. Future prospects of the demonstrated effects include novel sub-de Broglie wave imaging applications.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.1402.3132