High resolution amplitude and phase gratings in atom optics

Abstract

An atom-field geometry is chosen in which an atomic beam traverses a field interaction zone consisting of three fields, one having frequency $Ω=c/λ$ propagating in the $\hat{z}$ direction and the other two having frequencies $Ω+δ_{1}$ and $Ω+δ_{2}$ propagating in the -$\hat{z}$ direction. For $n_{1}δ_{1}+n_{2}δ_{2}=0$ and $|δ_{1}| T,|δ_{2}| T\gg 1$, where $n_{1}$ and $n_{2}$ are positive integers and $T$ is the pulse duration in the atomic rest frame, the atom-field interaction results in the creation of atom amplitude and phase gratings having period $% λ/[2(n_{1}+n_{2})]$. In this manner, one can use optical fields having wavelength $λ$ to produce atom gratings having periodicity much less than $λ$.