Gaussian wave packets (GWPs) are well suited as basis functions to describe the time evolution of arbitrary wave functions in systems with nonsingular smooth potentials. They are less so in atomic systems on account of the singular behavior of the Coulomb potential. We present a time-dependent variational method that makes the use of GWPs possible in the description of propagation of quantum states also in these systems. We do so by a regularization of the Coulomb potential, and by introduction of a fictitious time coordinate in which the evolution of an initial state can be calculated exactly and analytically for a pure Coulomb potential. Therefore in perturbed atomic systems variational approximations only arise from those parts of the potentials which deviate from the Coulomb potential. The method is applied to the hydrogen atom in external magnetic and electric fields. It can be adapted to systems with definite symmetries, and thus allows for a wide range of applications.
Effective and unrestricted engineering of atom-photon interactions requires precise spatially-resolved control of light beams. The significant potential of such manipulations lies in a set of disciplines ranging from solid state to atomic physics. Here we use a Zeeman-like ac-Stark shift of a shaped laser beam to perform rotations of spins with spatial resolution in a large ensemble of cold rubidium atoms. We show that inhomogeneities of light intensity are the main source of dephasing and thus decoherence, yet with proper beam shaping this deleterious effect is strongly mitigated allowing rot…
In situ accurate determination of the zero time delay between two independent ultrashort laser pulses by observing the oscillation of an atomic excited wave packet
We present a combined numerical and theoretical study of atomic photoionization in the time domain. We show how a photoelectron wave packet rapidly changes its shape after being emitted, from a complex multi-peak structure to eventually a relatively simple single-peak structure. This time-domain shape evolution provides information beyond the time-dependent average position of the wave packet, which has been used to retrieve the Wigner time delay. For few-cycle laser pulses, the asymptotic velocity of the photoelectron can be different from long-pulse-based expectations due to non-negligible c…
We investigate orbital alignment dynamics within the valence shell of atoms in coherently excited $j=3/2,1/2$ fine-structure manifolds generated by short-pulse photodetachment of F$^-$, Cl$^-$ and Br$^-$ anions. Using Keldysh-type theory, we calculate the density matrix of the residual atoms generated by few-cycle pulses, whose elements determine the populations and coherence among the electronic states. Our calculations demonstrate that the degree of atomic coherence can be represented by a near universal function of the ratio between the pulse duration $\tildeτ_p$ and the beat period $τ_{j'j…
Scattering of ultrashort electron wave packets: optical theorem, differential phase contrast and angular asymmetries
RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research (CPR) and RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics (RAP), RIKEN（RIKEN前沿研究集群（CPR）和RIKEN先进光子学中心（RAP），理化学研究所）；Department of Nuclear Engineering and Management, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo（东京大学工学研究科核工程与管理系）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University（奥胡斯大学物理与天文系）
The quasicontinuum method was originally introduced to bridge across length scales -- from atomistics to significantly larger continuum scales -- thus overcoming a key limitation of classical atomic-scale simulation techniques while solely relying on atomic-scale input (in the form of interatomic potentials). An associated challenge lies in bridging across time scales to overcome the time scale limitations of atomistics. To address the biggest challenge, bridging across both length and time scales, only a few techniques exist, and most of those are limited to conditions of constant temperature…
Quantum time dilation occurs when a clock moves in a superposition of relativistic momentum wave packets. We utilize the lifetime of an excited hydrogen-like atom as a clock to demonstrate how quantum time dilation manifests in a spontaneous emission process. The resulting emission rate differs when compared to the emission rate of an atom prepared in a mixture of momentum wave packets at order $v^2/c^2$. This effect is accompanied by a quantum correction to the Doppler shift due to the coherence between momentum wave packets. This quantum Doppler shift affects the spectral line shape at order…
We present a multichannel photoelectron interferometry technique based on trichromatic pulse shaping for unambiguous determination of quantum phases in multiphoton ionization (MPI) of potassium atoms. The colors of the laser field are chosen to produce three energetically separated photoelectron interferograms in the continuum. While the red pulse is two-photon resonant with the $3d$-state resulting in a (2+1) resonance-enhanced MPI (REMPI), a (1+2) REMPI occurs via the non-resonant intermediate $4p$-state with an initial green or blue pulse. We show that ionization via a non-resonant intermed…
Atomic dynamics in evaporative cooling of trapped alkali atoms in strong magnetic fields
我们研究了强磁场下塞曼位移的非线性对磁阱中射频场诱导蒸发冷却动力学的影响。我们证明了87-Rb和23-Na的F=2陷阱态的波包模拟如何冷却停止时，射频场频率低于一定的限制（85-Rb的F=2陷阱态的问题不会出现）。我们研究了强场情况下半经典模型的适用性，作为我们以前工作的扩展[Phys.Rev.A58，3983（1998）]。我们的研究结果证实了在最近的$^{87}$ Rb实验中观察到的许多方面[Phys. Rev. A 60，R1759（1999）]。
In this tutorial we provide a short review of attosecond pulse characterization techniques and a pedagogical account of a recently proposed method called Pulse Analysis by Delayed Absorption (PANDA) [Pabst and Dahlström, Phys. Rev. A, 94, 13411 (2016)]. We discuss possible implementations of PANDA in alkali atoms using either principal quantum number wave packets or spin-orbit wave packets. The main merit of the PANDA method is that it can be used as a pulse characterization method that is free from atomic latency effects, such as scattering phase shifts and long-lived atomic resonances. Final…
The charged wave packets with non-Gaussian spatial profiles are shown to possess intrinsic multipole moments. The magnetic dipole moment and the electric quadrupole moment are found for a wide class of the packets, including the vortex electrons with orbital angular momentum $\ell$, the Airy beams, the so-called Schrödinger's cat states, and their generalizations. For the packets with no phase vortices, the electric quadrupole moment is shown to grow quadratically with the packet's width, $|Q_{αβ}| \sim e\cdot σ_{\perp}^2$, while it is also $|\ell|$ times enhanced for the vortex beams. For ava…
It is generally admitted that in quantum mechanics, the electromagnetic potentials have physical interpretations otherwise absent in classical physics as illustrated by the Aharonov-Bohm effect. In 1984, Berry interpreted this effect as a geometrical phase factor. The same year, Wilczek and Zee generalized the concept of Berry phases to degenerate levels and showed that a non-Abelian gauge field arises in these systems. In sharp contrast with the Abelian case, spatially uniform non-Abelian gauge fields can induce particle noninertial motion. We explore this intriguing phenomenon with a degener…
A practical search technique for finding the complex saddle points used in wave packet or coherent state propagation is developed which works for a large class of Hamiltonian dynamical systems with many degrees of freedom. The method can be applied to problems in atomic, molecular, and optical physics, and other domains. A Bose-Hubbard model is used to illustrate the application to a many-body system where discrete symmetries play an important and fascinating role. For multidimensional wave packet propagation, locating the necessary saddles involves the seemingly insurmountable difficulty of s…
