arXiv subjects

Dan M. Stamper-Kurn

Publications and source records attributed to Dan M. Stamper-Kurn.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

Cavity-mediated coupling of mechanical oscillators limited by quantum backaction

A complex quantum system can be constructed by coupling simple quantum elements to one another. For example, trapped-ion or superconducting quantum bits may be coupled by Coulomb interactions, mediated by the exchange of virtual photons. Alternatively quantum objects can be coupled by the exchange of real photons, particularly when driven within resonators that amplify interactions with a single electro-magnetic mode. However, in such an open system, the capacity of a coupling channel to convey quantum information or generate entanglement may be compromised. Here, we realize phase-coherent interactions between two spatially separated, near-ground-state mechanical oscillators within a driven optical cavity. We observe also the noise imparted by the optical coupling, which results in correlated mechanical fluctuations of the two oscillators. Achieving the quantum backaction dominated regime opens the door to numerous applications of cavity optomechanics with a complex mechanical system. Our results thereby illustrate the potential, and also the challenge, of coupling quantum objects with light.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Seeing spin dynamics in atomic gases

The dynamics of internal spin, electronic orbital, and nuclear motion states of atoms and molecules have preoccupied the atomic and molecular physics community for decades. Increasingly, such dynamics are being examined within many-body systems composed of atomic and molecular gases. Our findings sometimes bear close relation to phenomena observed in condensed-matter systems, while on other occasions they represent truly new areas of investigation. I discuss several examples of spin dynamics that occur within spinor Bose-Einstein gases, highlighting the advantages of spin-sensitive imaging for understanding and utilizing such dynamics.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2014

Collective Excitation Interferometry with a Toroidal Bose-Einstein Condensate

The precision of compact inertial sensing schemes using trapped- and guided-atom interferometers has been limited by uncontrolled phase errors caused by trapping potentials and interactions. Here, we propose an acoustic interferometer that uses sound waves in a toroidal Bose-Einstein condensate to measure rotation, and we demonstrate experimentally several key aspects of this type of interferometer. We use spatially patterned light beams to excite counter-propagating sound waves within the condensate and use \emph{in situ} absorption imaging to characterize their evolution. We present an analysis technique by which we extract separately the oscillation frequencies of the standing-wave acoustic modes, the frequency splitting caused by static imperfections in the trapping potential, and the characteristic precession of the standing-wave pattern due to rotation. Supported by analytic and numerical calculations, we interpret the noise in our measurements, which is dominated by atom shot noise, in terms of rotation noise. While the noise of our acoustic interferometric sensor, at the level of $\sim \mbox{rad}\, \mbox{s}^{-1}/\sqrt{\mbox{Hz}}$, is high owing to rapid acoustic damping and the small radius of the trap, the proof-of-concept device does operate at $10^4 - 10^6$ times higher density and in a volume $10^9$ times smaller than free-falling atom interferometers.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2014

Coherent magnon optics in a ferromagnetic spinor Bose-Einstein condensate

We measure the mass, gap, and magnetic moment of a magnon in the ferromagnetic $F=1$ spinor Bose-Einstein condensate of $^{87}$Rb. We find an unusually heavy magnon mass of $1.038(2)_\mathrm{stat}(8)_\mathrm{sys}$ times the atomic mass, as determined by interfering standing and running coherent magnon waves within the dense and trapped condensed gas. This measurement is shifted significantly from theoretical estimates. The magnon energy gap of $h\times 2.5(1)_\mathrm{stat}(2)_\mathrm{sys}\;\mathrm{Hz}$ and the effective magnetic moment of $-1.04(2)_\mathrm{stat}(8)\,μ_\textrm{bare}$ times the atomic magnetic moment are consistent with mean-field predictions. The nonzero energy gap arises from magnetic dipole-dipole interactions.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2013

Optically Measuring Force near the Standard Quantum Limit

The Heisenberg uncertainty principle sets a lower bound on the sensitivity of continuous optical measurements of force. This bound, the standard quantum limit, can only be reached when a mechanical oscillator subjected to the force is unperturbed by its environment, and when measurement imprecision from photon shot-noise is balanced against disturbance from measurement backaction. We apply an external force to the center-of-mass motion of an ultracold atom cloud in a high-finesse optical cavity. The optomechanically transduced response clearly demonstrates the trade-off between measurement imprecision and back-action noise. We achieve a sensitivity that is consistent with theoretical predictions for the quantum limit given the atoms' slight residual thermal disturbance and the photodetection quantum efficiency, and is a factor of 4 above the absolute standard quantum limit.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2012

Spinor Bose gases: Explorations of symmetries, magnetism and quantum dynamics

Spinor Bose gases form a family of quantum fluids manifesting both magnetic order and superfluidity. This article reviews experimental and theoretical progress in understanding the static and dynamic properties of these fluids. The connection between system properties and the rotational symmetry properties of the atomic states and their interactions are investigated. Following a review of the experimental techniques used for characterizing spinor gases, their mean-field and many-body ground states, both in isolation and under the application of symmetry-breaking external fields, are discussed. These states serve as the starting point for understanding low-energy dynamics, spin textures and topological defects, effects of magnetic dipole interactions, and various non-equilibrium collective spin-mixing phenomena. The paper aims to form connections and establish coherence among the vast range of works on spinor Bose gases, so as to point to open questions and future research opportunities.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2012

Optical read-out of the quantum motion of an array of atoms-based mechanical oscillators

We create an ultracold-atoms-based cavity optomechanical system in which as many as six distinguishable mechanical oscillators are prepared, and optically detected, near their ground states of motion. We demonstrate that the motional state of one oscillator can be selectively addressed while preserving neighboring oscillators near their ground states to better than 95% per excitation quantum. We also show that our system offers nanometer-scale spatial resolution of each mechanical element via optomechanical imaging. This technique enables in-situ, parallel sensing of potential landscapes, a capability relevant to active research areas of atomic physics and force-field detection in optomechanics.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2012

Cavity optomechanics with cold atoms

The mechanical influence on objects due to their interaction with light has been a central topic in atomic physics for decades. Thus, one finds that many concepts developed to describe cavity optomechanical systems with solid-state mechanical oscillators have also been developed in parallel in relation to cold atomic physics. I describe several of these ideas from atomic physics, including optical methods for detecting quantum states of single cold atoms and atomic ensembles, motional effects within single-atom cavity quantum electrodynamics, and collective optical effects such as superradiant Rayleigh scattering and cavity cooling of atomic ensembles. I present several experimental realizations of cavity optomechanics in which an atomic ensemble serves as the mechanical element. These are divided between systems driven either by sending light onto the cavity input mirrors ("cavity pumped"), or by sending light onto the atomic ensemble ("side pumped"). The cavity-pumped systems clearly exhibit the key phenomena of cavity optomechanical systems, including cavity-aided position sensing, coherent back action effects such as the optical spring and cavity cooling, and optomechanical bistability; several of these effects have been detected not only for linear but also for quadratic optomechanical coupling. The extreme isolation of the atomic ensemble from mechanical disturbances, and its strong polarizability near the atomic resonance frequency, allow these optomechanical systems to be highly sensitive to quantum radiation pressure fluctuations. I describe several ways in which these fluctuations are observed experimentally. I conclude by considering the side-pumped cavity experiments in terms of cavity optomechanics, complementing recent treatments of these systems in terms of condensed-matter physics concepts such as quantum phase transitions and supersolidity.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2012

Linear Amplifier Model for Optomechanical Systems

We model optomechanical systems as linear optical amplifiers. This provides a unified treatment of diverse optomechanical phenomena. We emphasize, in particular, the relationship between ponderomotive squeezing and optomechanically induced transparency, two foci of current research. We characterize the amplifier response to quantum and deliberately applied fluctuations, both optical and mechanical. Further, we apply these results to establish quantum limits on external force sensing both on and off cavity resonance. We find that the maximum sensitivity attained on resonance constitutes an absolute upper limit, not surpassed when detuning off cavity resonance. The theory can be extended to a two-sided cavity with losses and limited detection efficiency.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2011

Optically detecting the quantization of collective atomic motion

We directly measure the quantized collective motion of a gas of thousands of ultracold atoms, coupled to light in a high-finesse optical cavity. We detect strong asymmetries, as high as 3:1, in the intensity of light scattered into low- and high-energy motional sidebands. Owing to high cavity-atom cooperativity, the optical output of the cavity contains a spectroscopic record of the energy exchanged between light and motion, directly quantifying the heat deposited by a quantum position measurement's backaction. Such backaction selectively causes the phonon occupation of the observed collective modes to increase with the measurement rate. These results, in addition to providing a method for calibrating the motion of low-occupation mechanical systems, offer new possibilities for investigating collective modes of degenerate gases and for diagnosing optomechanical measurement backaction.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2011

Ultracold Atoms in a Tunable Optical Kagome Lattice

Geometrically frustrated systems with a large degeneracy of low energy states are of central interest in condensed-matter physics. The kagome net - a pattern of corner-sharing triangular plaquettes - presents a particularly high degree of frustration, reflected in the non-dispersive orbital bands. The ground state of the kagome quantum antiferromagnet, proposed to be a quantum spin liquid or valence bond solid, remains uncertain despite decades of work. Solid-state kagome magnets suffer from significant magnetic disorder or anisotropy that complicates the interpretation of experimental results. Here, we realize the kagome geometry in a two-dimensional optical superlattice for ultracold $^{87}$Rb atoms. We employ atom optics to characterize the lattice as it is tuned between various geometries, including kagome, one-dimensional stripe, and decorated triangular lattices, allowing for a sensitive control of frustration. The lattices implemented in this work offer a near-ideal realization of a paradigmatic model of many-body quantum physics.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2011

Ponderomotive light squeezing with atomic cavity optomechanics

Accessing distinctly quantum aspects of the interaction between light and the position of a mechanical object has been an outstanding challenge to cavity-optomechanical systems. Only cold-atom implementations of cavity optomechanics have indicated effects of the quantum fluctuations in the optical radiation pressure force. Here we use such a system, in which quantum photon-number fluctuations significantly drive the center of mass of an atomic ensemble inside a Fabry-Perot cavity. We show that the optomechanical response both amplifies and ponderomotively squeezes the quantum light field. We also demonstrate that classical optical fluctuations can be attenuated by 26 dB or amplified by 20 dB with a weak input pump power of < 40 pW, and characterize the optomechanical amplifier's frequency-dependent gain and phase response in both the amplitude and phase-modulation quadratures.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2011

Cavity-aided magnetic-resonance microscopy of atoms in optical lattices

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a powerful technique for investigating the microscopic properties and dynamics of physical systems. In this work we demonstrate state-sensitive MRI of ultracold atoms in an optical lattice. Single-shot spatial resolution is 120 nm, well below the lattice spacing, and number sensitivity is +/-2.4 for 150 atoms on a single site, well below Poissonian atom-number fluctuations. We achieve this by combining high-spatial-resolution control over the atomic spin using an atom chip, together with nearly quantum-limited spin measurement, obtained by dispersively coupling the atoms to light in a high-finesse optical cavity. The MRI is minimally disruptive of the atoms' internal state, preserving the magnetisation of the gas for subsequent experiments. Using this technique, we observe the nonequilibrium transport dynamics of the atoms among individual lattice sites. We see the atom cloud initially expand ballistically, followed by the onset of interaction-inhibited transport.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2010

Two-element Zeeman Slower for Rubidium and Lithium

We demonstrate a two-element oven and Zeeman slower that produce simultaneous and overlapped slow beams of rubidium and lithium. The slower uses a three-stage design with a long, low acceleration middle stage for decelerating rubidium situated between two short, high acceleration stages for aggressive deceleration of lithium. This design is appropriate for producing high fluxes of atoms with a large mass ratio in a simple, robust setup.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2008

Quantum micro-mechanics with ultracold atoms

In many experiments isolated atoms and ions have been inserted into high-finesse optical resonators for the study of fundamental quantum optics and quantum information. Here, we introduce another application of such a system, as the realization of cavity optomechanics where the collective motion of an atomic ensemble serves the role of a moveable optical element in an optical resonator. Compared with other optomechanical systems, such as those incorporating nanofabricated cantilevers or the large cavity mirrors of gravitational observatories, our cold-atom realization offers direct access to the quantum regime. We describe experimental investigations of optomechanical effects, such as the bistability of collective atomic motion and the first quantification of measurement backaction for a macroscopic object, and discuss future directions for this nascent field.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2008

Observation of quantum-measurement backaction with an ultracold atomic gas

Current research on micro-mechanical resonators strives for quantum-limited detection of the motion of macroscopic objects. Prerequisite to this goal is the observation of measurement backaction consistent with quantum metrology limits. However, thermal noise presently dominates measurements and precludes ground-state preparation of the resonator. Here we establish the collective motion of an ultracold atomic gas confined tightly within a Fabry-Perot optical cavity as a system for investigating the quantum mechanics of macroscopic bodies. The cavity-mode structure selects a single collective vibrational mode that is measured by the cavity's optical properties, actuated by the cavity optical field, and subject to backaction by the quantum force fluctuations of this field. Experimentally, we quantify such fluctuations by measuring the cavity-light-induced heating of the intracavity atomic ensemble. These measurements represent the first observation of backaction on a macroscopic mechanical resonator at the standard quantum limit.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2007

Cavity Nonlinear Optics at Low Photon Numbers from Collective Atomic Motion

We report on Kerr nonlinearity and dispersive optical bistability of a Fabry-Perot optical resonator due to the displacement of ultracold atoms trapped within. In the driven resonator, such collective motion is induced by optical forces acting upon up to $10^5$ $^{87}$Rb atoms prepared in the lowest band of a one-dimensional intracavity optical lattice. The longevity of atomic motional coherence allows for strongly nonlinear optics at extremely low cavity photon numbers, as demonstrated by the observation of both branches of optical bistability at photon numbers below unity.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2006

Probing the quantum state of a guided atom laser pulse

We describe bichromatic superradiant pump-probe spectroscopy as a tomographic probe of the Wigner function of a dispersing particle beam. We employed this technique to characterize the quantum state of an ultracold atomic beam, derived from a Rb-87 Bose-Einstein condensate, as it propagated in a 2.5 mm diameter circular waveguide. Our measurements place an upper bound on the longitudinal phase-space area occupied by the 300,000 atom beam of 9(1) $\hbar$ and a lower bound on the coherence length (L > 13 microns). These results are consistent with full quantum degeneracy after multiple orbits around the waveguide.

quant-ph↗