Abstract
A method to create paired-atom laser beams from a metastable helium atom laser via four-wave mixing is demonstrated. Radio-frequency outcoupling is used to extract atoms from a Bose-Einstein condensate near the center of the condensate and initiate scattering between trapped and untrapped atoms. The unequal strengths of the interactions for different internal states allows an energy-momentum resonance which leads to the creation of pairs of atoms scattered from the zero-velocity condensate. The resulting scattered beams are well separated from the main atom laser in the two-dimensional transverse atom laser profile. Numerical simulations of the system are in good agreement with the observed atom laser spatial profiles and indicate that the scattered beams are generated by a four-wave mixing process, suggesting that the beams are correlated.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 011601 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-4 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Physical Review A - Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics |
Volume | 79 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 5 Jan 2009 |
Externally published | Yes |