Chaotic filtering of moving atoms in pulsed optical lattices

Abstract

We propose a mechanism for a velocity-selective device, which exploits the fundamental phenomenon of dynamical localization. It would allow packets of cold atoms travelling through a pulsed optical lattice in one direction to pass undisturbed, while dispersing atoms travelling in the opposite direction. This mechanism is based on a chaotic diffusion process, with a momentum-dependent diffusion coefficient. We analyse this classical effect, and we show that it is enhanced by dynamical localization.