Juan Pino

Bragg Spectroscopy of a Strongly Interacting 85Rb Bose-Einstein Condensate

We report on measurements of the excitation spectrum of a strongly interacting Bose-Einstein condensate. A magnetic-field Feshbach resonance is used to tune atom-atom interactions in the condensate and to reach a regime where quantum depletion and beyond mean-field corrections to the condensate chemical potential are significant. We use two-photon Bragg spectroscopy to probe the condensate excitation spectrum; our results demonstrate the onset of beyond mean-field effects in a gaseous Bose-Einstein condensate.

Measurements of Tan’s Contact in an Atomic Bose-Einstein Condensate

A powerful set of universal relations, centered on a quantity called the contact, connects the strength of short-range two-body correlations to the thermodynamics of a many-body system with delta-function interactions. We report on measurements of the contact, using RF spectroscopy, for an

Photon counting for Bragg spectroscopy of quantum gases

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Emerging liquid crystal waveguide technology for low SWaP active short-wave infrared imagers

Rb atomic Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). For bosons, the fact that contact spectroscopy can be used to probe the gas on short timescales is useful given the decreasing stability of BECs with increasing interactions. A complication is the added possibility, for bosons, of three-body interactions. In investigating this issue, we have located an Efimov resonance for

Miniature, compact laser system for ultracold atom sensors

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Tunable Miscibility in a Dual-Species Bose-Einstein Condensate

Rb atoms with loss measurements and thus determined the three-body interaction parameter. In our contact spectroscopy, in a region of observable beyond-mean-field effects, we find no measurable contribution from three-body physics.A powerful set of universal relations, centered on a quantity called the contact, connects the strength of short-range two-body correlations to the thermodynamics of a many-body system with zero-range interactions. We report on measurements of the contact, using rf spectroscopy, for an (85)Rb atomic Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). For bosons, the fact that contact spectroscopy can be used to probe the gas on short time scales is useful given the decreasing stability of BECs with increasing interactions. A complication is the added possibility, for bosons, of three-body interactions. In investigating this issue, we have located an Efimov resonance for (85)Rb atoms with loss measurements and thus determined the three-body interaction parameter. In our contact spectroscopy, in a region of observable beyond-mean-field effects, we find no measurable contribution from three-body physics.

Bragg Spectroscopy of a Strongly Interacting

We demonstrate a photon-counting technique for detecting Bragg excitation of an ultracold gas of atoms. By measuring the response of the light field to the atoms, we derive a signal independent of traditional time-of-flight atom-imaging techniques. With heterodyne detection we achieve photon shot-noise limited detection of the amplification or depletion of one of the Bragg laser beams. Photon counting for Bragg spectroscopy will be useful for strongly interacting gases where atom-imaging detection fails. In addition, this technique provides the ability to resolve the evolution of excitations as a function of pulse duration.

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Raytheon’s innovative active short wave infrared (SWIR) imager uses Vescent Photonic’s emerging liquid crystal waveguide (LCWG) technology to continuously steer the illumination laser beam over the imager field of view (FOV). This approach instantly illuminates a very small fraction of the FOV, which significantly reduces the laser power compared to flash illumination. This reduced laser power directly leads to a reduction in the size, weight and power (SWaP) of the laser. The reduction in laser power reduces the input power and thermal rejection, which leads to additional reduction in the SWaP of the power supplies and thermal control. The high-speed steering capability of the LCWG enables the imager’s SWaP reduction. The SWaP reduction is possible using either global or rolling shutter detectors. In both cases, the LCWG steers the laser beam over the entire FOV while the detector is integrating. For a rolling shutter detector, the LCWG synchronizes the steering with the rolling shutter to illuminate only regions currently integrating. Raytheon’s approach enables low SWaP active SWIR imagers without compromising image quality. This paper presents the results of Raytheon’s active SWIR imager demonstration including steering control and synchronization with the detector integration.

Rb Bose-Einstein Condensate

As ultracold atom sensors begin to see their way to the field, there is a growing need for small, accurate, and robust laser systems to cool and manipulate atoms for sensing applications such as magnetometers, gravimeters, atomic clocks and inertial sensing. In this paper we present a frequency-agile, butterfly packaged laser source, absolutely referenced to an atomic transition. We also present the entire laser system, including a fiber-coupled optical amplifier and liquid crystal shutters, replacing a laboratory table’s worth of optics with a system the size of a paperback novel.