Temporal, Matter-Wave-Dispersion Talbot Effect

L. Deng, E. W. Hagley, J. Denschlag, J. E. Simsarian, Mark Edwards, Charles W. Clark, K. Helmerson, S. L. Rolston, and W. D. Phillips
Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 5407 – Published 27 December 1999
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Abstract

We analyze and experimentally demonstrate a new (temporal) Talbot effect, where a pulsed phase grating is applied to a cloud of cold atoms (Bose-Einstein condensate). In contrast to the usual (spatial) Talbot effect, our atoms gain kinetic energy when diffracted by the pulsed grating. The energy gain and the matter-wave-dispersion relation result in an exact (no paraxial approximation) Talbot effect where the initial wave front is reconstructed at multiples of a “Talbot time” TT. We demonstrate the Talbot effect by applying a second pulsed phase grating after a variable delay. When this second grating is applied at even (odd) multiples of TT/2, it doubles (cancels) the effect of the first pulsed grating.

  • Received 22 July 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.83.5407

©1999 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

L. Deng, E. W. Hagley, J. Denschlag, J. E. Simsarian, Mark Edwards*, Charles W. Clark, K. Helmerson, S. L. Rolston, and W. D. Phillips

  • National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899

  • *Permanent address: Department of Physics, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30460.

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Vol. 83, Iss. 26 — 27 December 1999

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