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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 56: Poster III

Q 56.71: Poster

Thursday, March 21, 2013, 16:00–18:30, Empore Lichthof

Precision imaging of interfering matter waves — •Sönke Beck, Cristina Gherasim, and Reinhold Walser — Institut für angewandte Physik, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Hochschulstr. 4A, 64289 Darmstadt, Germany

We investigate the limitations of optical imaging for cold thermal clouds and Bose-Einstein condensates. An optimized imaging system is crucial to perform high precision measurements [1]. Within the paraxial approximation of wave optics, we have calculated the image of an absorptive-dispersive (χ=χ′+iχ″) atomic cloud after propagating through an ideal lens system with finite aperture. This shows the limitations of the standard formula for imaging the column integrated density ñ of dilute clouds, ñ=ln(I_vac/I_cloud)/k₀χ″ (I_vac, I_cloud image intensities without and with cloud, k₀ free-space wave number) [2]. The results are particularly relevant for diffraction limited structures of interfering Bose-Einstein condensates in a matter wave interferometer as realized in QUANTUS [3].

References:

• [1] T. van Zoest et al., Science 328, 1540 (2010)
• [2] W. Ketterle et al., Proceedings of the International School of Physics “Enrico Fermi” (1999)
• [3] J. Rudolf et al., Microgravity Sci. Technol. 23, 287 (2011)