October 2003 - July 2007
JAGIELLONIAN UNIVERSITY, Cracow, Poland
RESPONSIBILITIES:
PERFORMED SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN THE FIELD OF ULTRA COLD ATOMS PHYSICS, EMBRACING DIFFERENT METHODS TO COOL AND
TRAP ATOMS WITH LASER LIGHT. BUILT AN EXPERIMENTAL SETUP OF A MAGNETO-OPTICAL TRAP (MOT) AND A GRAVITO-OPTICAL
SURFACE TRAP (GOST). USED MENTIONED SET-UP TO PERFORM EXPERIMENTS IN THE FIELD OF COLD ATOMS PHYSICS.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
•Applied an alternative method (co-author) to detune the optical frequency of the laser beam in a MOT. Instead of the AOM based
set-up, a simple and not expensive solution-utilizing the Zeeman effect was employed.
•Applied innovative, high precision method of vertical shifting of cold atoms trapped in a MOT. The method did
not require additional off-set coils and employed already existed gradient coils in a MOT.
•Designed and build optical system of the atomic mirror. Created a mathematical model of optical forces in the
atomic mirror to find out relationships between the atomic mirror characteristics and the parameters of the optical
system of the atomic mirror. By utilizing the mentioned model found out the sophisticated mathematical method to
determine - with very high precision - the parameters of the optical system.
•Planned and performed experiments characterizing the atomic mirror performance in the setup of GOST.
The main goal of this work was to find the optimal structure of the experimental system for the most effective use
of the atomic mirror in the GOST set up. By coupling experimental and theoretical (modeling) activity determined
the best loading conditions for the surface trap. Demonstrated a method of cooling atoms by means of the atomic
mirror. Obtained extension of optical mirror area by using a certain geometry of the path of the evanescent wave
beam.
•Planned and performed experimental and theoretical investigation of the properties of atomotrons - orbital
modes of cold atoms in MOT.
•Found out the method to generate a novel type of atomotrons.
• Formulated mathematical model of interaction of optical radiative vortex forces upon cold atoms. The model was used to obtain numerical simulation - numerical atomotronic orbits for broad range of vortex forces parameters. Those simulations were used to plan experimental activities and to explain results obtained in the experiment.
•Discovered a method of determination of the effective laser beam intensity inside MOT by determining of the parameters of the multi-orbital atomotrons. Established a method of the mutual displacement of
two atomotrons generated in MOT. Discovered a new method of orbital modes controlling
•Gained and developed theoretical and experimental background (knowledge, experience, skills) in the field of
cold atoms physics, including various atoms cooling and trapping methods (MOT, FORT, QUEST, GOST, DEW,
blue detuned dipole traps based on hollow and Laguerre-Gauss laser beams), Bose-Einstein condensation, cold
atoms collisions and various atoms and molecules phenomena in optical and magnetic traps and optical lattices.
Studied subject of small particles trapping by optical tweezers.