Abstract

We present a simple method for calculating the binary collision rate between atoms in near-resonant optical lattices. The method is based on Monte Carlo wave-function simulations, and the collision rate is obtained by monitoring the quantum flux beyond the average distance between the atoms. To illustrate the usefulness of the method, we calculate the collision rates for a wide range of occupation densities and various modulation depths of the lattice. The method presented here, combined with the semiclassical calculations accounting for intrawell collisions, can simplify the study of the effects of binary collisions on the dynamics of atomic clouds trapped in near-resonant optical lattices.

© 2003 Optical Society of America

Damping rates of the atomic velocity in Sisyphus cooling

Laurent Sanchez-Palencia, Michele Schiavoni, François-Régis Carminati, Ferruccio Renzoni, and Gilbert Grynberg
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 20(5) 925-930 (2003)

Magnetic behavior of atoms in gray optical lattices

J. R. Guest, B. K. Teo, N. V. Morrow, and G. Raithel
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 20(5) 942-952 (2003)

Mechanical effects of light in optical resonators

Peter Domokos and Helmut Ritsch
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 20(5) 1098-1130 (2003)

Simulation of optical lattice trap loading from a cold atomic ensemble

Raymon S. Watson and John J. McFerran
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 38(1) 36-43 (2021)

Doppler cooling of an optically dense cloud of magnetically trapped atoms

Piet O. Schmidt, Sven Hensler, Jörg Werner, Thomas Binhammer, Axel Görlitz, and Tilman Pfau
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 20(5) 960-967 (2003)