xvi, 119 p. ; ill. (some col.) A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / This dissertation describes the development of an apparatus that can accommodate many atom-optics experiments, as well as an experimental demonstration of an optical one-way barrier for neutral atoms. The first part of this dissertation describes in detail the design and implementation of our apparatus. The experiment setup consists of optical systems, vacuum systems, imaging systems, and the related electronics. It is designed to be versatile enough for many cold-atom experiments, including the demonstration of an optical one-way barrier for neutral atoms, quantum measurement on the single-atom level, and the study of quantum chaos using Bose-Einstein condensates. The second part of this thesis presents the experimental study of an optical one-way barrier for neutral atoms. We demonstrated an asymmetric optical potential barrier for ultracold 87 Rb atoms. The atoms are confined in a far-detuned dipole trap consisting of a single focused Gaussian beam from a fiber laser. The optical one-way barrier consists of two focused laser beams oriented nearly normal to the dipole-trap axis and tuned near the 87 Rb D 2 transition. The first beam (main barrier beam) is tuned to work as either a potential well or barrier, depending on the state of the incident atoms. The second beam (repumping barrier beam) pumps the atoms to the barrier state on the reflecting side. We investigated the transmission and reflection dynamics of the atoms in the presence of the one-way barrier, and we verified its capability for increasing the phase-space density of a sample of neutral atoms using the one-way barrier. Our experiment is a realization of Maxwell's demon and has important implications for cooling atoms and molecules not susceptible to the standard laser-cooling techniques. / Adviser: Daniel A. Steck

xvi, 176 p. : ill. (some col.) / The research presented in this dissertation aims to contribute to the field of atom optics via the implementation and demonstration of an all-optical one-way barrier for 87 Rb atoms--a novel tool for controlling atomic motion. This barrier--a type of atomic turnstile--transmits atoms traveling in one direction but hinders their passage in the other direction. We create the barrier with two laser beams, generating its unidirectional behavior by exploiting the two hyperfine ground states of 87 Rb. In particular, we judiciously choose the frequency of one beam to present a potential well to atoms in one ground state (the transmitting state) and a potential barrier to atoms in the other state (the reflecting state). The second beam optically pumps the atoms from the transmitting state to the reflecting state. A significant component of the experimental work presented here involves generating ultra-cold rubidium atoms for demonstrating the one-way barrier. To this end, we have designed and constructed a sophisticated 87 Rb cooling and trapping apparatus. This apparatus comprises an extensive ultra-high vacuum system, four home-built, frequency-stabilized diode laser systems, a high-power Yb:fiber laser, a multitude of supporting optics, and substantial timing and control electronics. This system allows us to cool and trap rubidium atoms at a temperature of about 30 μK. The results presented in this dissertation are summarized as follows. We successfully implemented a one-way barrier for neutral atoms and demonstrated its asymmetric nature. We used this new tool to compress the phase-space volume of an atomic sample and examined its significance as a physical realization of Maxwell's demon. We also demonstrated the robustness of the barrier's functionality to variations in several important experimental parameters. Lastly, we demonstrated the barrier's ability to cool an atomic sample, substantiating its potential application as a new cooling tool. This dissertation includes previously published coauthored material. / Committee in charge: Dr. Hailin Wang, Chair; Dr. Daniel A. Steck, Research Advisor; Dr. Jens U. Nockel; Dr. David M. Strom; Dr. Jeffrey A. Cina