arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Yu-Kun Lu.
We show that the recent proposal for superradiant emission of neutrinos cannot evade our proof that superradiant neutrino emission is fundamentally impossible. Pairing two fermions in a molecule does not remove the cancellation of interference terms in neutrino emission due to fermionic anticommutators.
Here we address the fundamental question of whether an idealized system of $N$ atoms will show collective behavior and superradiance when it emits fermions instead of photons. We show that for single-fermion emission processes, the maximum emission is $\propto N$ and not $\propto N^2$, which proves the absence of superradiance and shows that the recent proposal to realize a superradiant neutrino laser is impossible. This can be understood as either destructive interference of fermionic transition amplitudes, or Pauli blockade by collective excitations with fermionic nature. We derive the exact solution of the fermionic Dicke problem and analyze the decay dynamics in various regimes. We extend the proof to arbitrary Hamiltonians and show that the jump rate operator for neutrino emission has a maximum eigenvalue of $N$ times the single-particle rate $\Gamma_0$. States with low excitation can show collective behavior and emit at a rate of $N \Gamma_0$.
Understanding how atoms collectively interact with light is not only important for fundamental science, but also crucial for designing light-matter interfaces in quantum technologies. Over the past decades, numerous studies have focused on arranging atoms in ordered arrays and using constructive (destructive) interference to enhance (suppress) the coupling to electromagnetic fields, thereby tailoring collective light-matter interactions. These studies have mainly focused on one- and two-dimensional arrays. However, only three-dimensional (3D) arrays can demonstrate destructive interference of coherent light scattering in all directions. This omnidirectional suppression of coherent light scattering in 3D atomic arrays has thus far not been experimentally demonstrated. Here, we observe a strong reduction of light scattering in a 3D atomic array prepared in the form of a Mott insulator in optical lattices. The residual light scattering is shown to be caused by the delocalization of atoms, Raman scattering, and inelastic scattering associated with saturation. We also demonstrate how light scattering can be a sensitive probe for density fluctuations in many-body states in optical lattices, enabling us to characterize the superfluid-to-Mott insulator phase transition as well as defects generated by dynamical parameter ramps. The results of our work can be used to prepare subradiant states for photon storage and probe correlations for many-body systems in optical lattices.
Young's double slit experiment has often been used to illustrate the concept of complementarity in quantum mechanics. If information can in principle be obtained about the path of the photon, then the visibility of the interference fringes is reduced or even destroyed. This Gedanken experiment discussed by Bohr and Einstein can be realized when the slit is replaced by individual atoms sensitive to the transferred recoil momentum of a photon which "passes through the slit". Early pioneering experiments were done with trapped ions and atom pairs created via photo-dissociation. Recently, it became possible to perform interference experiments with single neutral atoms cooled to the absolute ground state of a harmonic oscillator potential. The slits are now single atoms representing a two-level system, and the excitation in the harmonic oscillator potential is the which-way marker. In this note, we analyze and generalize two recent experiments performed with single atoms and emphasize the different ways they record which-way information.
The tendency of identical bosons to bunch, seen in the Hanbury Brown-Twiss effect and Bose-Einstein condensation, is a hallmark of quantum statistics. This bunching can enhance the rates of fundamental processes such as atom-atom and atom-light scattering when atoms scatter into already occupied states. For non-interacting bosons, the enhancement of light scattering follows directly from the occupation of the atom's final momentum state. Here, we study scattering between off-resonant light and atoms in a quasi-homogeneous Bose gas with tunable interactions and show that even weak interactions, which do not significantly alter the momentum distribution, strongly affect atom-light scattering. Changes in local atomic correlations suppress the bosonic enhancement under weak repulsive interactions and increase the scattering rate under attractive ones. Moreover, if the interactions are rapidly tuned, light scattering reveals correlation dynamics that are orders of magnitude faster than the collisional dynamics of the momentum-space populations. Its extreme sensitivity to correlation effects makes off-resonant light scattering a powerful probe of many-body physics in ultracold atomic gases.
We study light scattering of single atoms in free space and discuss the results in terms of atom-photon entanglement and which-way information. Using ultracold atoms released from an optical lattice, we realize a Gedanken experiment which interferes single photons scattering off of Heisenberg uncertainty-limited wavepackets. We unify the free-space and trapped-atom pictures by measuring the light scattered during wavepacket expansion and show the coherence properties of the scattered light is independent of the presence of the trap. Our experiment demonstrates the potential of using atomic Mott insulators to create single-atom wavepackets for fundamental studies.
We present a combined experimental and theoretical study of the spectrum of magnetically tunable Feshbach resonances in NaLi $(a^3Σ^+)$ $+$ Na collisions. In the accompanying paper, we observe experimentally 8 and 17 resonances occur between $B=0$ and $1400$~G in upper and lower spin-stretched states, respectively. Here, we perform ab initio calculations of the NaLi $+$ Na interaction potential and describe in detail the coupled-channel scattering calculations of the Feshbach resonance spectrum. The positions of the resonances cannot be predicted with realistic uncertainty in the state-of-the-art ab initio potential, but our calculations yield a typical number of resonances that is in near-quantitative agreement with experiment. We show that the main coupling mechanism results from spin-rotation and spin-spin couplings in combination with the anisotropic atom-molecule interaction. The calculations furthermore explain the qualitative difference between the numbers of resonances in either spin state.
Collisional resonances of molecules can offer a deeper understanding of interaction potentials and collision complexes, and allow control of chemical reactions. Here, we experimentally map out the spectrum of Feshbach resonances in collisions between ultracold triplet ro-vibrational ground-state NaLi molecules and Na atoms over a range of 1400 G. Preparation of the spin-stretched state puts the system initially into the non-reactive quartet potential. A total of 25 resonances are observed, in agreement with quantum-chemistry calculations using a coupled-channels approach. Although the theory cannot predict the positions of resonances, it can account for several experimental findings and provide unprecedented insight into the nature and couplings of ultracold, strongly interacting complexes. Previous work has addressed only weakly bound complexes. We show that the main coupling mechanism results from spin-rotation and spin-spin couplings in combination with the anisotropic atom-molecule interaction, and that the collisional complexes which support the resonances have a size of 30-40 $a_0$. This study illustrates the potential of a combined experimental and theoretical approach.
Atomic physics has greatly advanced quantum science, mainly due to the ability to control the position and internal quantum state of atoms with high precision, often at the quantum limit. The dominant tool for this is laser light, which can structure and localize atoms in space (e.g., in optical tweezers, optical lattices, 1D tubes or 2D planes). Due to the diffraction limit of light, the natural length scale for most experiments with atoms is on the order of 500 nm or larger. Here we implement a new super-resolution technique which localizes and arranges atoms on a sub-50 nm scale, without any fundamental limit in resolution. We demonstrate this technique by creating a bilayer of dysprosium atoms, mapping out the atomic density distribution with sub-10 nm resolution, and observing dipolar interactions between two physically separated layers via interlayer sympathetic cooling and coupled collective excitations. At 50 nm, dipolar interactions are 1,000 times stronger than at 500 nm. For two atoms in optical tweezers, this should enable purely magnetic dipolar gates with kHz speed.
Trapping ultracold molecules in conservative traps is essential for applications -- such as quantum state-controlled chemistry, quantum simulations, and quantum information processing. These applications require high densities or phase-space densities. We report magnetic trapping of NaLi molecules in the triplet ground state at high density ($\approx 10^{11} \; \rm{cm}^{-3}$) and ultralow temperature ($\approx 1\;{\rm μK}$). Magnetic trapping at these densities allows studies on both atom-molecule and molecule-molecule collisions in the ultracold regime in the absence of trapping light, which has often lead to undesired photo-chemistry. We measure the inelastic loss rates in a single spin sample and spin-mixtures of fermionic NaLi as well as spin-stretched NaLi$+$Na mixtures. We demonstrate sympathetic cooling of NaLi molecules in the magnetic trap by radio frequency evaporation of co-trapped Na atoms and observe an increase in the molecules' phase-space density by a factor of $\approx 16$.
Collisional resonances are an important tool which has been used to modify interactions in ultracold gases, for realizing novel Hamiltonians in quantum simulations, for creating molecules from atomic gases and for controlling chemical reactions. So far, such resonances have been observed for atom-atom collisions, atom-molecule collisions and collisions between Feshbach molecules which are very weakly bound. Whether such resonances exist for ultracold ground state molecules has been debated due to the possibly high density of states and/or rapid decay of the resonant complex. Here we report a very pronounced and narrow (25 mG) Feshbach resonance in collisions between two ground state NaLi molecules. This molecular Feshbach resonance has two special characteristics. First, the collisional loss rate is enhanced by more than two orders of magnitude above the background loss rate which is saturated at the $p$-wave universal value, due to strong chemical reactivity. Second, the resonance is located at a magnetic field where two open channels become nearly degenerate. This implies the intermediate complex predominantly decays to the second open channel. We describe the resonant loss feature using a model with coupled modes which is analogous to a Fabry-Pérot cavity. Our observations prove the existence of long-lived coherent intermediate complexes even in systems without reaction barriers and open up the possibility of coherent control of chemical reactions.
Stimulated Brillouin scattering provides optical gain for efficient and narrow-linewidth lasers in high-Q microresonator systems. However, the thermal dependence of the Brillouin process, as well as the microresonator, impose strict temperature control requirements for long-term frequency-stable operation. Here, we study Brillouin back action and use it to both measure and phase-sensitively lock modal temperature to a reference temperature defined by the Brillouin phase-matching condition. At a specific lasing wavelength, the reference temperature can be precisely set by adjusting resonator free spectral range. This backaction control method is demonstrated in a chip-based Brillouin laser, but can be applied in all Brillouin laser platforms. It offers a new approach for frequency-stable operation of Brillouin lasers in atomic clock, frequency metrology, and gyroscope applications.
For bosons, the transition rate into an already occupied quantum state is enhanced by its occupation number: the effect of bosonic stimulation. Bosonic enhancement of light scattering has been predicted more than 30 years ago but has not been observed before. Here we theoretically investigate and experimentally demonstrate this effect. We show that the bosonic enhancement factor for a harmonically trapped gas is bounded by a universal constant $ζ(2)/ζ(3)$ above the phase transition to a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), and depends linearly on the BEC fraction just below the phase transition. Bosonically enhanced light scattering is observed and characterized above and below the phase transition, and the effect of interactions is discussed. For a multi-level system, bosonic enhancement is reduced because bosonic stimulation occurs only for Rayleigh scattering, but not for Raman scattering.
In this study, we achieved magnetic control of reactive scattering in an ultracold mixture of $^{23}$Na atoms and $^{23}$Na$^{6}$Li molecules. In most molecular collisions, particles react or are lost near short range with unity probability, leading to the so-called universal rate. By contrast, the Na{+}NaLi system was shown to have only $\sim4\%$ loss probability in a fully spin-polarized state. By controlling the phase of the scattering wave function via a Feshbach resonance, we modified the loss rate by more than a factor of $100$, from far below to far above the universal limit. The results are explained in analogy with an optical Fabry-Perot resonator by interference of reflections at short and long range. Our work demonstrates quantum control of chemistry by magnetic fields with the full dynamic range predicted by our models.
Pauli blocking of spontaneous emission is responsible for the stability of atoms. Higher electronic orbitals cannot decay to lower-lying states if they are already occupied -- this is Pauli blocking due to occupation of internal states. Pauli blocking also occurs when free atoms scatter light elastically (Rayleigh scattering) and the final external momentum states are already occupied. A suppression of the total rate of light scattering requires a quantum-degenerate Fermi gas with a Fermi energy larger than the photon recoil energy. This has been predicted more than 30 years ago, but never realized. Here we report the creation of a dense Fermi gas of ultracold lithium atoms and show that at low temperatures light scattering is suppressed. We also explore the suppression of inelastic light scattering when two colliding atoms emit light shifted in frequency.
A single photon in a strongly nonlinear cavity is able to block the transmission of the second photon, thereby converting incident coherent light into anti-bunched light, which is known as photon blockade effect. On the other hand, photon anti-pairing, where only the entry of two photons is blocked and the emission of bunches of three or more photons is allowed, is based on an unconventional photon blockade mechanism due to destructive interference of two distinct excitation pathways. We propose quantum plexcitonic systems with moderate nonlinearity to generate both anti-bunched and anti-paired photons. The proposed plexitonic systems benefit from subwavelength field localizations that make quantum emitters spatially distinguishable, thus enabling a reconfigurable photon source between anti-bunched and anti-paired states via tailoring the energy bands. For a realistic nanoprism plexitonic system, two schemes of reconfiguration are suggested: (i) the chemical means by partially changing the type of the emitters; or (ii) the optical approach by rotating the polarization angle of the incident light to tune the coupling rate of the emitters. These results pave the way to realize reconfigurable nonclassical photon sources in a simple quantum plexcitonic platform with readily accessible experimental conditions.
Synchronization is of importance in both fundamental and applied physics, but their demonstration at the micro/nanoscale is mainly limited to low-frequency oscillations like mechanical resonators. Here, we report the synchronization of two coupled optical microresonators, in which the high-frequency resonances in optical domain are aligned with reduced noise. It is found that two types of synchronization emerge with either the first- or second-order transition, both presenting a process of spontaneous symmetry breaking. In the second-order regime, the synchronization happens with an invariant topological character number and a larger detuning than that of the first-order case. Furthermore, an unconventional hysteresis behavior is revealed for a time-dependent coupling strength, breaking the static limitation and the temporal reciprocity. The synchronization of optical microresonators offers great potential in reconfigurable simulations of many-body physics and scalable photonic devices on a chip.
Exceptional points (EPs) are special spectral degeneracies of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians governing the dynamics of open systems. At the EP two or more eigenvalues and the corresponding eigenstates coalesce. Recently, it has been proposed that EPs can enhance the sensitivity of optical gyroscopes. Here we report measurement of rotation sensitivity boost by over 4X resulting from operation of a chip-based stimulated Brillouin gyroscope near an exceptional point. A second-order EP is identified in the gyroscope and originates from the dissipative coupling between the clockwise and counterclockwise lasing modes. The modes experience opposing Sagnac shifts under application of a rotation, but near the exceptional point new modal admixtures dramatically increase the Sagnac shift. Modeling confirms the measured enhancement. Besides the ability to operate an optical gyroscope with enhanced sensitivity, this result provides a new platform for study of non-Hermitian physics and nonlinear optics with precise control.