Abstract

We present a generalized excitation scheme and achromatic geometries for coherent diffraction of three-level atoms from a nonmagnetic, blazed phase grating. The phase grating is formed by differentially detuned standing waves with a relative spatial phase shift of π/2 and can be realized for transitions other than J = 0/1 → J = 1. The use of the differential detuning to create the phase grating allows for geometries in which the longitudinal atomic motion is coupled to the diffraction process. We describe a geometry that yields two regimes of beam splitting in which all longitudinal atomic velocities receive the same momentum transfer from the phase grating. We propose to call this type of beam splitter achromatic.

© 1996 Optical Society of America

Demonstration of a nonmagnetic blazed-grating atomic beam splitter

K. S. Johnson, A. Chu, T. W. Lynn, K. K. Berggren, M. S. Shahriar, and M. Prentiss
Opt. Lett. 20(11) 1310-1312 (1995)

Variable focal-length lens for atoms

Qiming Li, K. G. H. Baldwin, H.-A. Bachor, and D. E. McClelland
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 13(2) 257-267 (1996)

Effect of transverse guiding on the velocity distribution of an atomic beam

M. Prentiss, A. Cable, and N. P. Bigelow
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 6(11) 2155-2158 (1989)

Experimental possibilities for observation of unidirectional momentum transfer to atoms from standing-wave light

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J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 2(11) 1799-1804 (1985)

Doughnut-beam-induced Sisyphus cooling in atomic guiding and collimation

Jianping Yin and Yifu Zhu
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 15(8) 2235-2239 (1998)