Synchronization of Bloch oscillations by a ring cavity

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how a ring cavity can synchronize and stabilize Bloch oscillations of ultracold atoms in an optical lattice, enhancing atomic gravimeter performance through feedback mechanisms and non-destructive monitoring.

Contribution

It introduces a cavity feedback scheme that synchronizes Bloch oscillations, stabilizes them against noise and interactions, and enables non-destructive atomic state monitoring.

Findings

Cavity feedback synchronizes Bloch oscillations.

It stabilizes oscillations against noise and interactions.

It produces observable light bursts for monitoring atomic dynamics.

Abstract

We consider Bloch oscillations of ultracold atoms stored in a one-dimensional vertical optical lattice and simultaneously interacting with a unidirectionally pumped optical ring cavity whose vertical arm is collinear with the optical lattice. We find that the feedback provided by the cavity field on the atomic motion synchronizes Bloch oscillations via a mode-locking mechanism, steering the atoms to the lowest Bloch band. It also stabilizes Bloch oscillations against noise, and even suppresses dephasing due to atom-atom interactions. Furthermore, it generates periodic bursts of light emitted into the counter-propagating cavity mode, providing a non-destructive monitor of the atomic dynamics. All these features may be crucial for future improvements of the design of atomic gravimeters based on recording Bloch oscillations.