Atom Optics

• Atom Laser Cooling, Trapping
• Atom Holography
• Bose-Einstein Condensation
• Tom Lasers
• Direct Atom Drawing

It includes a number of techniques in which atomic and molecular samples are cooled down to near absolute zero. Laser cooling techniques rely on the fact that when an object absorbs and re-emits a photon (a particle of light) its momentum changes. For an ensemble of particles, their thermodynamic temperature is proportional to the variance in their velocity. That is, more homogeneous velocities among particles corresponds to a lower temperature.

Laser cooling techniques combine atomic spectroscopy with the aforementioned mechanical effect of light to compress the velocity distribution of an ensemble of particles, thereby cooling the particles.

Uses:

Laser cooling is primarily used to create ultracold atoms for experiments in quantum physics. These experiments are performed near absolute zero where unique quantum effects such as Bose–Einstein condensation can be observed.

Laser cooling has primarily been used on atoms, but recent progress has been made toward laser cooling more complex systems.