Experimental verification of a one-parameter scaling law for the quantum and "classical" resonances of the atom-optics kicked rotor

Abstract

We present experimental measurements of the mean energy in the vicinity of the first and second quantum resonances of the atom optics kicked rotor for a number of different experimental parameters. Our data is rescaled and compared with the one parameter epsilon--classical scaling function developed to describe the quantum resonance peaks. Additionally, experimental data is presented for the ``classical'' resonance which occurs in the limit as the kicking period goes to zero. This resonance is found to be analogous to the quantum resonances, and a similar one-parameter classical scaling function is derived, and found to match our experimental results. The width of the quantum and classical resonance peaks is compared, and their Sub-Fourier nature examined.