Dr. Jabez McClelland
National
Title: Nanotechnology
with Atom Optics
Atom optics
involves manipulating beams of neutral atoms in ways similar to light optics.
Focusing, reflecting, and diffracting of atom beams can all be achieved via
elements that act as lenses, mirrors, and beamsplitters.
Laser light, resonant with a transition in the atom being manipulated, often
plays a central role in realizations of atom optics. I will talk about
experiments we have been doing that put atom optics to use for applications in
nanotechnology. In particular, I will discuss how a laser standing wave can be
used to focus chromium atoms into nm-scale lines and dots as they deposit on a
surface, and also how a magnetic-optical trap can be used to deliver atoms
deterministically, one at a time, with 99% certainty.