arXiv subjects

S. Bali

Publications and source records attributed to S. Bali.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2020

Producing slow light in warm alkali vapor using electromagnetically induced transparency

We present undergraduate-friendly instructions on how to produce light pulses propagating through warm Rubidium vapor with speeds less than 400 m/s, i.e., nearly a million times slower than c. We elucidate the role played by electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in producing slow light pulses, and discuss how to achieve the required experimental conditions. The optical set up is presented, and details provided for preparation of pump, probe, and reference pulses of the required size, frequency, intensity, temporal width, and polarization purity. EIT-based slow light pulses provide the most widely studied architecture for creating quantum memories. Therefore, the basic concepts presented here are useful for physics and engineering majors who wish to get involved in the development of cutting-edge quantum technologies.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2000

Stable, Strongly Attractive, Two-State Mixture of Lithium Fermions in an Optical Trap

We use an all-optical trap to confine a strongly attractive two-state mixture of lithium fermions. By measuring the rate of evaporation from the trap, we determine the effective elastic scattering cross section (4 PI a^2) to show that the magnitude of the scattering length |a| is very large, in agreement with predictions. We show that the mixture is stable against inelastic decay provided that a small bias magnetic field is applied. For this system, the s-wave interaction is widely tunable at low magnetic field, and can be turned on and off rapidly via a Raman PI pulse. Hence, this mixture is well suited for fundamental studies of an interacting Fermi gas.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2000

Ultrastable CO2 Laser Trapping of Lithium Fermions

We demonstrate an ultrastable CO2 laser trap that provides tight confinement of neutral atoms with negligible optical scattering and minimal laser-noise- induced heating. Using this method, fermionic 6Li atoms are stored in a 0.4 mK deep well with a 1/e trap lifetime of 300 sec, consistent with a background pressure of 10^(-11) Torr. To our knowledge, this is the longest storage time ever achieved with an all-optical trap, comparable to the best reported magnetic traps.

physics.atom-ph↗