Nonlinear coherent dynamics of an atom in an optical lattice

Abstract

We consider a simple model of lossless interaction between a two-level single atom and a standing-wave single-mode laser field which creates a one-dimensional optical lattice. Internal dynamics of the atom is governed by the laser field which is treated to be classical with a large number of photons. Center-of-mass classical atomic motion is governed by the optical potential and the internal atomic degree of freedom. The resulting Hamilton-Schrödinger equations of motion are a five-dimensional nonlinear dynamical system with two integrals of motion. The main focus of the paper is chaotic atomic motion that may be quantified strictly by positive values of the maximal Lyapunov exponent. It is shown that atom, depending on the value of its total energy, can either oscillate chaotically in a well of the optical potential or fly ballistically with weak chaotic oscillations of its momentum or wander in the optical lattice changing the direction of motion in a chaotic way. In the regime of chaotic wandering atomic motion is shown to have fractal properties. We find a useful tool to visualize complicated atomic motion -- Poincaré mapping of atomic trajectories in an effective three-dimensional phase space onto planes of atomic internal variables and momentum. We find common features with typical non-hyperbolic Hamiltonian systems -- chains of resonant islands of different sizes embedded in a stochastic sea, stochastic layers, bifurcations, and so on. The phenomenon of sticking of atomic trajectories to boundaries of regular islands, that should have a great influence to atomic transport in optical lattices, is found and demonstrated numerically.