Atomic condensate in an optical trap formed by a cavity mode

Resumo

It has been shown that an optical trap for an atomic condensate formed by a mode of a ring cavity possesses specific properties. These properties are not featured by a trap formed by free beams and arise owing to quantum correlations (entanglement) between the localized atoms and the optical mode. In particular, there is an effect similar to an optomechanical phenomenon known as an “optical spring” (S. Martellucci et al., Bose–Einstein Condensates and Atom Lasers (Kluwer, Dordrecht, 2002)) and manifested by the emergence of an effective correction to the interaction between the localized atoms. The magnitude and sign of this correction can be controlled by varying the frequency of the source forming the trap.