Optical ferris wheel for ultracold atoms

We propose a versatile optical ring lattice suitable for trapping cold and quantum degenerate atomic samples. We demonstrate the realisation of intensity patterns from pairs of Laguerre-Gauss (exp(i??) modes with different ? indices. These patterns can be rotated by introducing a frequency shift bet...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Optics express 2007-07, Vol.15 (14), p.8619-8625
Main Authors: Franke-Arnold, S, Leach, J, Padgett, M J, Lembessis, V E, Ellinas, D, Wright, A J, Girkin, J M, Ohberg, P, Arnold, A S
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:We propose a versatile optical ring lattice suitable for trapping cold and quantum degenerate atomic samples. We demonstrate the realisation of intensity patterns from pairs of Laguerre-Gauss (exp(i??) modes with different ? indices. These patterns can be rotated by introducing a frequency shift between the modes. We can generate bright ring lattices for trapping atoms in red-detuned light, and dark ring lattices suitable for trapping atoms with minimal heating in the optical vortices of blue-detuned light. The lattice sites can be joined to form a uniform ring trap, making it ideal for studying persistent currents and the Mott insulator transition in a ring geometry.
ISSN:1094-4087
1094-4087
DOI:10.1364/OE.15.008619