Gravity-sensitive quantum dynamics in cold atoms.
We subject a falling cloud of cold cesium atoms to periodic kicks from a sinusoidal potential created by a vertical standing wave of laser light. By controllably accelerating the potential, we show quantum accelerator mode dynamics to be highly sensitive to the effective gravitational acceleration when close to specific, resonant values. This quantum sensitivity to a control parameter is reminiscent of that associated with classical chaos and promises techniques for precision measurement.
Ma
Z-Y
ZY
Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom.
d'Arcy
M B
MB
Gardiner
S A
SA