Abstract
We study the means of preparing and coherently manipulating atomic wave packets in optical lattices, with particular emphasis on alkali-metal atoms in the far-detuned limit. We derive a general, basis-independent expression for the lattice potential operator, and show that its off-diagonal elements can be tailored to couple the vibrational manifolds of separate magnetic sublevels. Using these couplings one can evolve the state of a trapped atom in a quantum coherent fashion, and prepare pure quantum states by resolved-sideband Raman cooling. We explore the use of atoms bound in optical lattices to study quantum tunneling and the generation of macroscopic superposition states in a double-well potential. Far-off-resonance optical potentials lend themselves particularly well to reservoir engineering via well-controlled fluctuations in the potential, making the atom-lattice system attractive for the study of decoherence and the connection between classical and quantum physics.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1972-1986 |
Number of pages | 15 |
Journal | Physical Review A - Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics |
Volume | 57 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1998 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics