Quantum resonant effects in the delta-kicked rotor revisited

TL;DR

This paper reviews the atom optics delta-kicked rotor, presents experimental observations of quantum resonances using Bose-Einstein condensates, and explores effects of initial momentum and fractional Talbot times on these resonances.

Contribution

It provides new experimental insights into quantum resonances in the AOKR, including higher order effects and the influence of initial atomic momentum.

Findings

Observation of higher order quantum resonances at fractional Talbot times.

Experimental demonstration of quantum resonances with Bose-Einstein condensates.

Analysis of initial momentum effects on quantum resonance behavior.

Abstract

We review the theoretical model and experimental realization of the atom optics $\delta-$kicked rotor (AOKR), a paradigm of classical and quantum chaos. We have performed a number of experiments with an all-optical Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) in a periodic standing wave potential in an AOKR system. We discuss results of the investigation of the phenomena of quantum resonances in the AOKR. An interesting feature of the momentum distribution of the atoms obtained as a result of short pulses of light, is the variance of the momentum distribution or the kinetic energy $<p^{2}>/2m$ in units of the recoil energy $E_{rec} = \hbar \omega_{rec}$. The energy of the system is examined as a function of pulse period for a range of kicks that allow the observation of quantum resonances. In particular we study the behavior of these resonances for a large number of kicks. Higher order quantum resonant effects corresponding to the fractional Talbot time of (1/4)$T_{T}$ and (1/5)$T_{T}$ for five and ten kicks have been observed. Moreover, we describe the effect of the initial momentum of the atoms on quantum resonances in the AOKR.