Physics

We demonstrate the coherent creation of a single NaCs molecule in its rotational, vibrational, and electronic (rovibronic) ground state in an optical tweezer. Starting with a weakly bound Feshbach molecule, we locate a two-photon transition via the | c 3 Σ, v ??=26??excited state and drive coherent Rabi oscillations between the Feshbach state and a single hyperfine level of the NaCs rovibronic ground state | X 1 Σ, v ?��?=0, N ?��?=0??with a binding energy of D 0 =h?147038.30(2) GHz. We measure a lifetime of 3.4±1.6 s for the rovibronic ground-state molecule, which possesses a large molecule-frame dipole moment of 4.6 Debye and occupies predominantly the motional ground state. These long-lived, fully quantum-state-controlled individual dipolar molecules provide a key resource for molecule-based quantum simulation and information processing.

Using the Dirac-Heisenberg-Wigner (DHW) formalism, e?ects of asymmetric pulse shape on the generation of electron-positron pairs in three typical polarized fields, i.e., the linear, middle elliptical and circular ones, are investigated. Two kinds of asymmetries for the falling pulse length, one is compressed and the other is elongated, are studied. It is found that the interference e?ect disappears with the compression of the pulse length, and finally the peak value of the momentum spectrum is concentrated in the center of the momentum space. For the opposite situation by extending the falling pulse length, a multi-ring structure without interference appears in the momentum spectrum. Research results exhibit that the momentum spectrum is very sensitive to the asymmetry of the pulse as well as to the polarization of the fields. It is also found that the number density of electron-positron pairs under di?erent polarizations is sensitive to the asymmetry of electric field. For the compressed falling pulse, the number density can be enhanced significantly over 2 orders of magnitude. These results could be useful in planning high power or/and high-intensity laser experiments.

The periodicity inherent to any interferometric signal entails a fundamental trade-off between sensitivity and dynamic range of interferometry-based sensors. Here we develop a methodology for significantly extending the dynamic range of such sensors without compromising their sensitivity, scale-factor, and bandwidth. The scheme is based on operating two simultaneous, nearly-overlapping interferometers, with full-quadrature phase detection and with different but close scale factors. The two interferometers provide a joint period much larger than 2{\pi} in a moiré-like effect, while benefiting from close-to-maximal sensitivity and from suppression of common-mode noise. The methodology is highly suited to atom interferometers, which offer record sensitivities in measuring gravito-inertial forces but suffer from limited dynamic range. We experimentally demonstrate an atom interferometer with a dynamic-range enhancement of over an order of magnitude in a single shot and over three orders of magnitude within a few shots, for both static and dynamic signals. This approach can dramatically improve the operation of interferometric sensors in challenging, uncertain, or rapidly varying, conditions.

Preparation of molecular quantum gas promises novel applications including quantum control of chemical reactions, precision measurements, quantum simulation and quantum information processing. Experimental preparation of colder and denser molecular samples, however, is frequently hindered by fast inelastic collisions that heat and deplete the population. Here we report the formation of two-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) of spinning g− wave molecules by inducing pairing interactions in an atomic condensate. The trap geometry and the low temperature of the molecules help reducing inelastic loss to ensure thermal equilibrium. We determine the molecular scattering length to be +220(30) ~Bohr and investigate the unpairing dynamics in the strong coupling regime. Our work confirms the long-sought transition between atomic and molecular condensates, the bosonic analog of the BEC-BCS (Bardeen-Cooper-Schieffer superfluid) crossover in a Fermi gas.

Motional Stark effect (MSE) spectroscopy represents a unique diagnostic tool capable of determining the magnitude of the magnetic field and its direction in the core of fusion plasmas. The primary excitation channel for fast hydrogen atoms in injected neutral beams, with energy in the range of 25-1000 keV, is due to collisions with protons and impurity ions (e.g., He 2+ and heavier impurities). As a result of such excitation, at the particle density of 10 13 -10 14 cm −3 , the line intensities of the Stark multiplets do not follow statistical expectations (i.e., the populations of fine-structure levels within the same principal quantum number n are not proportional to their statistical weights). Hence, any realistic modeling of MSE spectra has to include the relevant collisional atomic data. In this paper we provide a general expression for the excitation cross sections in parabolic states within n =3 for an arbitrary orientation between the direction of the motion-induced electric field and the proton-atom collisional axis. The calculations make use of the density matrix obtained with the atomic orbital close coupling method and the method can be applied to other collisional systems (e.g., He 2+ , Be 4+ , C 6+ , etc.). The resulting cross sections are given as simple fits that can be directly applied to spectral modeling. For illustration we note that the asymmetry detected in the first classical cathode ray experiments between the red- and blue-shifted spectral components can be quantitatively studied using the proposed approach.

We present numerical simulations of ultrafast multiphoton ionization dynamics in a two-dimensional atomic model driven by co- and counterrotating circularly polarized single-color and bichromatic carrier envelope phase (CEP) stable ultrashort laser pulse sequences. Taking into account phase variations due to CEP fluctuations and the Gouy phase, our results accurately reproduce recently measured photoelectron momentum distributions [Pengel et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 053003 (2017), Phys. Rev. A 96, 043426 (2017); Kerbstadt et al., Nat. Comm. 10, 685 (2019), Adv. Phys. X 4, 1672583 (2019)]. The time evolution of the complex-valued electron wave function in coordinate and momentum space is calculated to study the bound state- and the vortex formation dynamics. The non-vanishing azimuthal probability current density proves the vortex nature of electron wave packets with odd-numbered rotational symmetry. Their angular momentum expectation value assumes half-integer values of 3.5 (corotating) and 0.5 (counterrotating). Knowledge of the wave function allows us to analyze the photoionization dynamics and to validate the physical pictures proposed in previous experimental studies. As an outlook, we investigate how electron vortices develop from the multiphoton- to the tunnel regime with increasing laser intensity.

The Gamma Factory initiative proposes to develop novel research tools at CERN by producing, accelerating and storing highly relativistic, partially stripped ion beams in the SPS and LHC storage rings. By exciting the electronic degrees of freedom of the stored ions with lasers, high-energy narrow-band photon beams will be produced by properly collimating the secondary radiation that is peaked in the direction of ions' propagation. Their intensities, up to 10 17 photons per second, will be several orders of magnitude higher than those of the presently operating light sources in the particularly interesting γ --ray energy domain reaching up to 400 MeV. This article reviews opportunities that may be afforded by utilizing the primary beams for spectroscopy of partially stripped ions circulating in the storage ring, as well as the atomic-physics opportunities afforded by the use of the secondary high-energy photon beams. The Gamma Factory will enable ground breaking experiments in spectroscopy and novel ways of testing fundamental symmetries of nature.

Short wavelength Free-Electron Lasers (FELs) are the newest light sources available to scientists to probe a wide range of phenomena, with chemical, physical and biological applications, using soft and hard X-rays. These sources include the currently most powerful light sources in the world (hard X-ray sources) and are characterised by extremely high powers and high transverse coherence, but the first FELs had reduced longitudinal coherence. Now it is possible to achieve good longitudinal coherence (narrow bandwidth in the frequency domain) and here we discuss and illustrate a range of experiments utilising this property, and their underlying physics. The primary applications are those which require high resolution (for example resonant experiments), or temporal coherence (for example coherent control experiments). The currently available light sources extend the vast range of laboratory laser techniques to short wavelengths.

We provide a brief review of how phase space techniques are explored within strong-field and attosecond science. This includes a broad overview of the existing landscape, with focus on strong-field ionisation and rescattering, high-order harmonic generation, stabilisation and free-electron lasers. Furthermore, using our work on the subject, which deals with ionisation dynamics in atoms and diatomic molecules as well as high-order harmonic generation in inhomogeneous fields, we exemplify how such tools can be employed. One may for instance determine qualitatively different phase space dynamics, explore how bifurcations influence ionisation and high-harmonic generation, establish for which regimes classical and quantum correspondence works or fails, and what role different time scales play. Finally, we conclude the review highlighting the importance of the tools available in quantum optics, quantum information and physical chemistry to strong-field laser-matter interaction.

The photoionization of xenon atoms in the 70-100 eV range reveals several fascinating physical phenomena such as a giant resonance induced by the dynamic rearrangement of the electron cloud after photon absorption, an anomalous branching ratio between intermediate Xe + states separated by the spin-orbit interaction and multiple Auger decay processes. These phenomena have been studied in the past, using in particular synchrotron radiation, but without access to real-time dynamics. Here, we study the dynamics of Xe 4d photoionization on its natural time scale combining attosecond interferometry and coincidence spectroscopy. A time-frequency analysis of the involved transitions allows us to identify two interfering ionization mechanisms: the broad giant dipole resonance with a fast decay time less than 50 as and a narrow resonance at threshold induced by spin-flip transitions, with much longer decay times of several hundred as. Our results provide new insight into the complex electron-spin dynamics of photo-induced phenomena.