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A three‐dimensional Brownian motor, realised with symmetric optical lattices
Author(s) -
Kastberg Anders,
Dion Claude M.,
Hagman Henning,
Zelán Martin
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
physica status solidi (b)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1521-3951
pISSN - 0370-1972
DOI - 10.1002/pssb.200881559
Subject(s) - brownian motor , brownian motion , asymmetry , physics , isotropy , interferometry , optical lattice , classical mechanics , quantum mechanics , work (physics) , ratchet , superfluidity
A three‐dimensional Brownian motor is realised using lasercooled caesium atoms trapped in a system of two static, and individually symmetric, optical lattices; a so‐called double optical lattice. Isotropic fluctuations, emanating from light scattering, are rectified, and the diffusion of the ensemble of atoms is biased, with a resulting constant velocity that is controllable both in direction and magnitude. The working principle of the Brownian motor can be seen as a pulsation between two different potentials, both symmetric but around different points. The correlation between interferometric spatial offsets, and imbalance in optical pumping rates, leads to a spatio‐temporal asymmetry sufficient for generating a controlled, directed motion (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)