Abstract

In recent years the advances in trapping and cooling of neutral atoms have allowed experimental observations of the non-linear dynamics of cold atoms. Dynamical localisation of an atomic ensemble has been observed.[1] This experiment measured the momentum transfer from a phase-modulated standing wave of a near-resonant laser to a sample of ultra-cold Na atoms. The momentum transfer was measured via a change in the original momentum distribution. Other experiments have been proposed [2] in which chaotic resonances are induced by interactions of the atomic wave packet with an intensity-modulated standing wave. In such experiments these resonances lead to a modification of the final atomic momentum distribution. The results of these quantum chaos experiments rely heavily on being able to measure the momentm spread of the atomic ensemble.

© 1996 Optical Society of America