Coherent Patterning of Matter Waves with Subwavelength Localization

TL;DR

The paper introduces the SLAP technique for subwavelength, state-selective patterning of matter waves, enabling nanometer-scale localization beyond the diffraction limit, with potential applications in nano-lithography and quantum patterning.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel SLAP method that achieves coherent, subwavelength localization of matter waves using adiabatic passage with structured laser fields.

Findings

Achieves matter wave localization down to nanometer scale.

Demonstrates potential for nano-lithography with atomic beams.

Applicable to coherent patterning of Bose-Einstein condensates.

Abstract

We propose the Subwavelength Localization via Adiabatic Passage (SLAP) technique to coherently achieve state-selective patterning of matter waves well beyond the diffraction limit. The SLAP technique consists in coupling two partially overlapping and spatially structured laser fields to three internal levels of the matter wave yielding state-selective localization at those positions where the adiabatic passage process does not occur. We show that by means of this technique matter wave localization down to the single nanometer scale can be achieved. We analyze in detail the potential implementation of the SLAP technique for nano-lithography with an atomic beam of metastable Ne* and for coherent patterning of a two-component 87Rb Bose-Einstein condensate.