Dark Optical Lattice of Ring Traps for Cold Atoms

Abstract

We propose a new geometry of optical lattice for cold atoms, namely a lattice made of a 1D stack of dark ring traps. It is obtained through the interference pattern of a standard Gaussian beam with a counter-propagating hollow beam obtained using a setup with two conical lenses. The traps of the resulting lattice are characterized by a high confinement and a filling rate much larger than unity, even if loaded with cold atoms from a MOT. We have implemented this system experimentally, and obtained a lattice of ring traps populated with typically 40 atoms per site with a life time of 30 ms. Applications in statistical physics, quantum computing and Bose-Einstein condensate dynamics are conceivable.

4 pages, submitted to PRA

References in corpus (3)

• Quantum phase transition from a superfluid to a Mott insulator in a gas of ultracold atoms
• A large magnetic storage ring for Bose-Einstein condensates
• Bose-Einstein condensates in 1D optical lattices: compressibility, Bloch bands and elementary excitations

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• Engineering many-body quantum dynamics by disorder
• Sagnac effect in a chain of mesoscopic quantum rings
• Synchronization in non dissipative optical lattices
• Evolution with size in a locally periodic system: Scattering and deterministic maps
• Inductive dressed ring traps for ultracold atoms
• Möbius transformations and electronic transport properties of large disorderless networks
• Structured Light by linking together diffraction-resistant spatially shaped beams: "LEGO-BEAMS"
• How to characterize the dynamics of cold atoms in non dissipative optical lattices?