Coherent and incoherent transmission of a dense atomic sample in the linear and saturated regimes

• Grant number: 24/22244-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Atomic and Molecular Physics
• Principal Investigator: Philippe Wilhelm Courteille
• Grantee: Thales Martins Batista Pereira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física de São Carlos (IFSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This master's project aims to study the scattering of light by a dense sample of cold strontium atoms. Specifically, this project aims to implement a measurement of the electric field of light transmitted through a dense and disordered atomic sample. The measurement of the electric field will extend the regime of parameters for which we can characterize the true optical density of the cloud, in relation to the possibilities established by the measurement of the intensity of the transmitted light. Furthermore, the phase of the electric field will allow us to obtain the refractive index of the dense sample, of high fundamental interest. To do this, the student will initially optimize the cloud's cooling parameters, so that it is suitable for the experimental objectives of this project. Then, the student will establish, theoretically, the different noise sources expected for the system, thus determining the expected signal-to-noise ratio. Finally, he will implement the optics and electronics responsible for the heterodyne measurement of the electric field. As a central objective of this project, measurements of coherent light transmission will be carried out through the sample of cold atoms, so that changes in the Beer-Lambert Law resulting from collective interactions resulting from the dense regime can be studied. (AU)