Excitation of an Atomic Electron to a Coherent Superposition of Macroscopically Distinct States

Noel, Michael W.; Stroud, C. R.

doi:10.1103/physrevlett.77.1913

Cited by 144 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 26 publications

(20 reference statements)

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“…The area of the negative region is of the order of Planck constant. There are several methods of producing such a state [3,[7][8][9]. Zurek [18] has studied a superposition state of four Gaussian wave packets…”

Section: Compass State For the Radiation Fieldmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, an efficient production of such states would require a large Kerr nonlinearity which is not available though some proposals for the enhancement of the Kerr nonlinearity exist [12]. The existence of such superpositions is closely connected to the occurrence of fractional revivals in the nonlinear dynamics of quantum systems [8,[13][14][15]. In particular, a fractional revival of order 1 / 4 can produce a superposition of four coherent states.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In recent times mesoscopic superposition of states has attracted a great deal of attention as these superpositions exhibit very important interference effects [1][2][3] many of which have now been realized experimentally [4][5][6][7][8]. The simplest superposition would consist of two coherent states one centered at ␣ and the other at −␣.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mesoscopic superposition of states with sub-Planck structures in phase space

Agarwal

Pathak

2004

Phys. Rev. A

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We propose the cavity quantum electrodynamics method, using dispersive interaction between atoms and a high-quality cavity to realize the mesoscopic superposition of coherent states that would exhibit sub-Planck structures in phase space, i.e., the structures at a scale smaller than the Plank's constant ͑ប͒. These structures are direct signatures of quantum coherence and are formed as a result of interference between the two superposed cat states. In particular we focus on a superposition involving four coherent states. We show interferences in the conditional measurements involving two atoms.

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Section: Compass State For the Radiation Fieldmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mesoscopic superposition of states with sub-Planck structures in phase space

Agarwal

Pathak

2004

Phys. Rev. A

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“…It has been successfully employed in controlling the angular momentum of Rydberg electrons and molecular wavepackets, 1 and it was the key technique in the creation of Schrödinger cat's states in Rydberg atoms. 2 Semiconductor quantum dots and rings are artificial atoms with energy levels that can be engineered, and the realization of optical control in these systems is particularly appealing for quantum device applications.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Laser-controlled local magnetic field with semiconductor quantum rings

Pershin

Piermarocchi

2005

Phys. Rev. B

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We analyze theoretically the dynamics of N electrons localized in a narrow semiconductor quantum ring under a train of phase-locked infrared laser pulses. The pulse sequence is designed to control the total angular momentum of the electrons. The quantum ring can be put in states characterized by strong currents. The local magnetic field created by these currents can be used for a selective quantum control of single spins in semiconductor systems. The current generation in quantum rings with finite width is also studied.

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“…Phase-shaped pulses have been employed to excite arbitrary wave packets [7] and to fully characterize their amplitude and phase profile [8][9][10]. Intuitive schemes exploiting trains of phase-locked optical pulses have been employed to create Schrö dinger's cat states [11], to demonstrate Young's double slit interference in an atom [12], to control electronic orbital angular momentum [13], and the radial distribution [14]. In this Letter, we take a step further and develop an intuitive scheme to control the dynamics of a molecular system.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Optical Control of the Rotational Angular Momentum of a Molecular Rydberg Wave Packet

et al. 2003

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An intuitive scheme for controlling the rotational quantum state of a Rydberg molecule is demonstrated experimentally. We determine the accumulated phase difference between the various components of a molecular electron wave packet, and then employ a sequence of phase-locked optical pulses to selectively enhance or depopulate specific rotational states. The angular momentum composition of the resulting wave packet, and the efficiency of the control scheme, is determined by calculating the multipulse response of the time-dependent Rydberg populations. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.91.243601 PACS numbers: 33.80.Rv Coherent control experiments in molecular systems have tended to employ complex waveforms [1][2][3][4] generated by feedback-controlled learning loops [5]. Despite the fact that they can be remarkably effective even in complex molecules [1][2][3]6] and biological systems [3], they are not intuitive and so it is difficult to unravel the underlying physics [6]. It is extremely tempting to try to control molecular processes from first principles and recognize the control mechanism. Ideal laboratories for the design of logical control schemes are Rydberg wave packets, since the phase parameters are readily determined. The relative phases of the interfering pathways are important since optical control processes rely on the interferences between different excitation pathways. Previous experiments controlling the dynamics of Rydberg electron wave packets have focused on simple atomic systems. Phase-shaped pulses have been employed to excite arbitrary wave packets [7] and to fully characterize their amplitude and phase profile [8][9][10]. Intuitive schemes exploiting trains of phase-locked optical pulses have been employed to create Schrö dinger's cat states [11], to demonstrate Young's double slit interference in an atom [12], to control electronic orbital angular momentum [13], and the radial distribution [14]. In this Letter, we take a step further and develop an intuitive scheme to control the dynamics of a molecular system. We explore the dynamics of a molecular electron wave packet composed predominantly of two Rydberg series belonging to two different rotational quantum states of the molecular ion. We determine the accumulated phase difference and deduce an intuitive pulse sequence to obtain full control over the time-dependent populations of the rotational quantum state of the wave packet.First, consider a wave packet composed of a superposition of two noninteracting Rydberg series, with different orbital angular momenta l and quantum defects l , converging to the same ionization limit. Such a wave packet may be considered as being composed of two separate components and is written r; t nl a nl nl r exp ÿi! nl t , where nl r is the radial wave function of the eigenstate jnli, ! nl ÿ1=2 n ÿ l 2 is its frequency and a nl is its amplitude in the superposition. After an integer number of orbit periods k, each wave packet, corresponding to a channel l, accumulates a phase 2 k l , resulting in an accumulated ph...

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Excitation of an Atomic Electron to a Coherent Superposition of Macroscopically Distinct States

Cited by 144 publications

References 26 publications

Mesoscopic superposition of states with sub-Planck structures in phase space

Mesoscopic superposition of states with sub-Planck structures in phase space

Laser-controlled local magnetic field with semiconductor quantum rings

Optical Control of the Rotational Angular Momentum of a Molecular Rydberg Wave Packet

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