Observation of Chaotic and Regular Dynamics in Atom-Optics Billiards
Year: 2001
Type: article
Abstract: We report on experimental observations of chaotic and regular motion of ultracold atoms confined by a billiard-shaped optical dipole potential induced by a rapidly scanning laser beam. To investigate the dynamics of the atoms confined by such an "atom-optics" billiard we measure the decay of the number of trapped atoms through a hole on the boundary. A fast and purely exponential decay, the clear signature of chaotic motion, is found for a stadium billiard, but not for a circular or an elliptical billiard, in agreement with theory. We also investigated the effects of decoherence, velocity spread, and gravity on regular and chaotic motion.
Source: Physical Review Letters
Institution: Weizmann Institute of Science
Language: English
Subfield: Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1994380188