Optical ferris wheel for ultracold atoms.
We propose a versatile optical ring lattice suitable for trapping cold and quantum degenerate atomic samples. We demonstrate the realisation of intensity patterns from pairs of Laguerre-Gauss (exp(i??) modes with different ? indices. These patterns can be rotated by introducing a frequency shift between the modes. We can generate bright ring lattices for trapping atoms in red-detuned light, and dark ring lattices suitable for trapping atoms with minimal heating in the optical vortices of blue-detuned light. The lattice sites can be joined to form a uniform ring trap, making it ideal for studying persistent currents and the Mott insulator transition in a ring geometry.
Franke-Arnold
S
S
Leach
J
J
Padgett
M J
MJ
Lembessis
V E
VE
Ellinas
D
D
Wright
A J
AJ
Girkin
J M
JM
Ohberg
P
P
Arnold
A S
AS