Atomic Physics
Many proposed extensions to the Standard Model of particle physics introduce new bosons that can mediate forces which couple to particle spin. Here we describe a search for such forces coupling spin-polarized neutrons and protons in our…
We report the first demonstration of a laser-atomic oscillator with cesium (Cs) atoms. A laser-atomic oscillator (LAO) is analogous to an active mode-locked laser with a self-excited modulator, i.e. atoms, at a ground-state hyperfine…
In this paper, using a simplified model of the xenon atom, we numerically study the possibilities of efficient generation of coherent pulses in the XUV range through the resonant interaction of atoms with a moderate-intensity laser field,…
The $5S_{1/2} \rightarrow 6P_{3/2}$ transition of rubidium at $420$~nm is a promising candidate for a portable warm-vapor all-optical atomic clock. Despite recent precision spectroscopy studies at $420$ nm in Rb, an experimental…
We provide a re-formulation of the light-matter interaction of trapped-atom systems in terms of classical modulation theory. We introduce commuting ``mean'' quadrature operators together with ``deviation'' operators that describe the…
We demonstrate all-optical control of birefringence in a cold atomic cloud of ytterbium. By optically dressing the excited $^{3}\mathrm{P}_1$ state via an off-resonant coupling to the $^{3}\mathrm{D}_1$ level, we induce…
Whether fundamental constants vary over time or space is one of the key questions in metrology and cosmology. Among them, variation of the fine structure constant $\alpha$ is intensively investigated. Yttrium ions Y$^+$ and actinium ions…
Low-energy positron scattering from singlet and triplet metastable He($1s2s$) is investigated using the $R$-matrix propagation method in hyperspherical coordinates. Elastic and positronium-formation cross sections are reported, and…
In the second order of the non-relativistic quantum perturbation theory and outside the framework of the dipole approximation for the operator of the radiation transition between continuum-spectrum states, the analytical structures and…
Molecular magneto-optical traps (MOTs) typically capture orders of magnitude fewer particles than their atomic counterparts due in part to their significantly lower capture velocities. Here, we employ a Stochastic Schr\"odinger Equation…
We propose and demonstrate a dynamical mirror compensation scheme to restore velocity immunity in a large-area dual-atom-interferometer gyroscope. In an ideal Mach-Zehnder configuration, the phase shift is inherently immune to atomic…
We report laser-induced-fluorescence spectroscopy of the \({}^{1}S_{0}\rightarrow{}^{3}P_{1}\) intercombination transition in neutral zinc at \(307.6~\mathrm{nm}\). Isotope shifts are measured for all stable isotopes with kHz-level…
Ethanol is conventionally perceived only as a pungent tastant, while the potential sweet properties of ethanol clusters have remained unrecognized. Here we show that ethanol tetramers exhibit a unique time dependent lingering sweetness,…
Standing light waves structure the electronic density of a Rydberg atom in a rich but surprisingly systematic fashion. We uncover these systematics, which are nearly universal across a large range of principal quantum numbers n, by varying…
Optical cycling refers to repeated excitation and spontaneous emission on an electronic transition in an atom or molecule. Optical cycling in molecules can enable a wide range of quantum control and readout techniques, but unfortunately it…
Forbidden atomic transitions provide some of the most stringent low-energy tests of physics beyond the Standard Model, with sensitivity set by the interplay between the sought-for signals and systematics suppressed by symmetry. Here we…
The well-known graphical representation called the Lu-Fano plot was originally developed for multi-channel Rydberg spectroscopy, especially in quantum defect theory. The present study shows some of the limitations of this traditional…
We investigate the fragmentation dynamics of methane dication (CH$_4^{2+}$) produced in collisions with 50-MeV C$^{6+}$ ions using the COLTRIMS technique. The method provides complete three-dimensional momentum vectors of the charged…
Strong-field enhanced ionization (EI) is a phenomenon in which stretching of interatomic bonds into a distorted molecular geometry leads to an increase in the tunneling ionization rate driven by a strong field. Isolating the momentum…
We present a theoretical description of atomic strong-field photoionization. Specifically, we consider an atom driven by a combination of two electromagnetic fields: a high-frequency field assisted by an intense, low-frequency laser. We…