Laurence Pruvost

Theoretical study of a cold atom beam splitter

A theoretical model is presented for the study of the dynamics of a cold atomic cloud falling in the gravity field in the presence of two crossing dipole guides. The cloud is split between the two branches of this laser guide, and we compare experimental measurements of the splitting efficiency with semiclassical simulations. We then explore the possibilities of optimization of this beam splitter. Our numerical study also gives access to detailed information, such as the atom temperature after the splitting.

Analysis of the topological charge of vortex beams using a hole wheel

The measurement of the topological charge of a vortex beam is demonstrated using the diffraction pattern produced by hole wheel. The resulting mandala-like interference pattern depends on the number of holes relatively to the topological charge. The interference at the centre of the pattern ?bright or dark?enables us to determine the topological charge in a procedure when hole wheels with different number of holes are applied. This method is direct and wavelength independent. It does not require any image analysis and could find applications in classical telecommunications or quantum optics using twisted light.

Controlled deflection of cold atomic clouds and of Bose-Einstein condensates

We present a detailed, realistic proposal and analysis of the implementation of a cold atom deflector using time-dependent far off-resonance optical guides. An analytical model and numerical simulations are used to illustrate its characteristics when applied to both non-degenerate atomic ensembles and to Bose-Einstein condensates. Using for all relevant parameters values that are achieved with present technology, we show that it is possible to deflect almost entirely an ensemble of 87Rb atoms falling in the gravity field. We discuss the limits of this proposal, and illustrate its robustness against non-adiabatic transitions.

Optical Devices for Cold Atoms and Bose‐Einstein Condensates

The manipulation of cold atoms with optical fields is a very promising technique for a variety of applications ranging from laser cooling and trapping to coherent atom transport and matter wave interferometry. Optical fields have also been proposed as interesting tools for quantum information processing with cold atoms. In this paper, we present a theoretical study of the dynamics of a cold {sup 87}Rb atomic cloud falling in the gravity field in the presence of two crossing dipole guides. The cloud is either deflected or split between the two branches of this guide. We explore the possibilities of optimization of this device and present preliminary results obtained in the case of zero-temperature dilute Bose-Einstein condensates.