Large optical depth frequency modulation spectroscopy.

Band-resolved frequency modulation spectroscopy is a common method to measure weak signals of radiative ensembles. When the optical depth of the medium is large, the signal drops exponentially and the technique becomes ineffective. In this situation, we show that a signal can be recovered when a larger modulation index is applied. Noticeably, this signal can be dominated by the natural linewidth of the resonance, regardless of the presence of inhomogeneous line broadening. We implement this technique on a cesium vapor, and then explore its main spectroscopic features. This work opens the road towards measurement of cooperative emission effects in bulk atomic ensemble.

Non-Abelian adiabatic geometric transformations in a cold strontium gas.

Topology, geometry, and gauge fields play key roles in quantum physics as exemplified by fundamental phenomena such as the Aharonov-Bohm effect, the integer quantum Hall effect, the spin Hall, and topological insulators. The concept of topological protection has also become a salient ingredient in many schemes for quantum information processing and fault-tolerant quantum computation. The physical properties of such systems crucially depend on the symmetry group of the underlying holonomy. Here, we study a laser-cooled gas of strontium atoms coupled to laser fields through a four-level resonant tripod scheme. By cycling the relative phases of the tripod beams, we realize non-Abelian SU(2) geometrical transformations acting on the dark states of the system and demonstrate their non-Abelian character. We also reveal how the gauge field imprinted on the atoms impact their internal state dynamics. It leads to a thermometry method based on the interferometric displacement of atoms in the tripod beams.

Cooperative Emission of a Pulse Train in an Optically Thick Scattering Medium.

An optically thick cold atomic cloud emits a coherent flash of light in the forward direction when the phase of an incident probe field is abruptly changed. Because of cooperativity, the duration of this phenomena can be much shorter than the excited lifetime of a single atom. Repeating periodically the abrupt phase jump, we generate a train of pulses with short repetition time, high intensity contrast, and high efficiency. In this regime, the emission is fully governed by cooperativity even if the cloud is dilute.

Cooperative Emission of a Coherent Superflash of Light.

We investigate the transient coherent transmission of light through an optically thick cold strontium gas. We observe a coherent superflash just after an abrupt probe extinction, with peak intensity more than three times the incident one. We show that this coherent superflash is a direct signature of the cooperative forward emission of the atoms. By engineering fast transient phenomena on the incident field, we give a clear and simple picture of the physical mechanisms at play.

Nonequilibrium phase transition with gravitational-like interaction in a cloud of cold atoms.

We propose to use a cloud of laser-cooled atoms in a quasi-two-dimensional trap to investigate a nonequilibrium collapse phase transition in the presence of a gravitational-like interaction. Using theoretical arguments and numerical simulations, we show that, like in two-dimensional gravity, a transition to a collapsed state occurs below a critical temperature. In addition and as a signature of the nonequilibrium nature of the system, persistent particle currents, dramatically increasing close to the phase transition, are observed.

Doppler cooling to the quantum limit.

Doppler cooling on a narrow transition is limited by the noise of single scattering events. It shows novel features, which are in sharp contrast with cooling on a broad transition, such as a non-gaussian momentum distribution, and divergence of its mean square value close to the resonance. We have observed those features using 1D cooling on an intercombination transition in strontium, and compared the measurements with theoretical predictions and Monte Carlo simulations. We also find that for very a narrow transition, cooling can be improved using a dipole trap, where the clock shift is canceled.

Saturation-induced coherence loss in coherent backscattering of light.

We use coherent backscattering of light by cold strontium atoms to study phase-breaking mechanisms in the multiple-scattering regime. As the probe light intensity is increased, the atomic optical transition starts to be saturated. Nonlinearities and inelastic scattering then occur. The latter induces a characteristic phase-breaking time that reduces the wave coherence. In our experiment, this leads to a strong reduction of the enhancement factor of the coherent backscattering cone. The results at different probe detuning are also presented.

Slow diffusion of light in a cold atomic cloud.

We study the diffusive propagation of multiply scattered light in an optically thick cloud of cold rubidium atoms illuminated by a quasiresonant laser beam. In the vicinity of a sharp atomic resonance, the energy transport velocity of the scattered light is almost 5 orders of magnitude smaller than the vacuum speed of light, reducing strongly the diffusion constant. We verify the theoretical prediction of a frequency-independent transport time around the resonance. We also observe the effect of the residual velocity of the atoms at long times.

Coherent light transport in a cold strontium cloud.

We study light coherent transport in the weak localization regime using magneto-optically cooled strontium atoms. The coherent backscattering cone is measured in the four polarization channels using light resonant with a J(g) = 0-->J(e) = 1 transition of the strontium atom. We find an enhancement factor close to 2 in the helicity preserving channel, in agreement with theoretical predictions. This observation confirms the effect of internal structure as the key mechanism for the contrast reduction observed with a rubidium cold cloud [G. Labeyrie et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 5266 (1999)]. Experimental results are in good agreement with Monte Carlo simulations taking into account geometry effects.

Instabilities in a magneto-optical trap: noise-induced dynamics in an atomic system

The instabilities observed in the atomic cloud of a magneto-optical trap are experimentally studied through the dynamics of the center of mass location and the cloud population. Two dynamical components are identified: a slow, stochastic one affects both variables, and a fast, deterministic one affects only the center of mass location. A one-dimensional stochastic model taking into account the shadow effect is developed from these observations and reproduces the experimental behavior. It is shown that instabilities are driven by noise and present stochastic resonancelike characteristics.

Nitrous oxide constricts epicardial coronary arteries without effect on coronary arterioles.

The authors sought to determine the effects of nitrous oxide on both epicardial coronary artery dimensions and intramyocardial coronary arteriolar tone. Nine dogs were anesthetized with fentanyl-pentobarbital-oxygen. High resolution angiograms of the left coronary system were obtained, and cross-sectional areas of the proximal, mid, and distal left anterior descending and proximal circumflex coronary arteries were quantitated using a computerized analysis system. Measurements were made at three coronary perfusion pressures before nitrous oxide administration, and then repeated following the addition of both 30% and 60% nitrous oxide. At the same time, coronary arteriolar tone was assessed by measuring coronary blood flow using 133Xenon washout. Sixty percent nitrous oxide was accompanied by constriction of the epicardial coronary arteries. Thirty percent nitrous oxide had a less marked effect. At 70 mmHg coronary perfusion pressure, following 60% nitrous oxide, mid left anterior descending cross-sectional area decreased from 4.6 +/- 0.3 mm2 (mean +/- SD) to 3.5 +/- 0.3 mm2. At 90 mmHg, area decreased from 4.57 +/- 0.3 mm2 to 3.69 +/- 0.4 mm2, and, at 110 mmHg, from 4.7 +/- 0.4 mm2 to 3.9 +/- 0.4 mm2 (P less than 0.01). Nitrous oxide had no effect on the relationship between coronary blood flow and myocardial oxygen consumption, indicating an absence of effect on coronary arteriolar tone. It is concluded that intramyocardial coronary arterioles and epicardial coronary arteries are dissimilar in their response to nitrous oxide. In the intact, anesthetized, normal dog, nitrous oxide does not affect coronary arteriolar tone. Sixty percent nitrous oxide produces constriction of epicardial coronary arteries.