Raman mass-spectrometry via oscillatory motion in deep pulsed optical lattices

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel optical diagnostic method that uses oscillatory motion in deep optical lattices to determine gas composition, offering a non-resonant alternative to traditional Raman scattering and mass spectrometry.

Contribution

The paper presents a new non-resonant Raman-like technique based on atomic oscillations in optical lattices for gas analysis, expanding the capabilities of optical diagnostics.

Findings

Demonstrates measurement of atomic and molecular motion in deep optical lattices.

Shows the method's applicability for different gas densities via optical scattering or ionization.

Highlights the technique's potential to complement existing mass spectrometry methods.

Abstract

We describe a new optical diagnostic for determining the composition of gases by measuring the motion of atoms and molecules trapped within very deep optical lattices. This non-resonant method is analogous to conventional Raman scattering, except that the observed spectral features relate to the oscillatory center-of-mass motion of each species within the lattice, determined uniquely by their respective polarizability-to-mass ratio. Depending on the density of the probed sample, detection occurs either via optical scattering at the high end or via non-resonant ionization at the lower end. We show that such a technique is complementary to conventional mass spectrometry techniques and envision its implementation in existing instruments.