The atomic waveplate

Abstract

In this thesis, we theoretically model the behaviour of atoms outcoupled from an atom laser passing through an RF resonance. Within the Landau-Zener formalism, we find a range for the Rabi frequency of the RF field, inside of which dynamical spin transitions occur. We find that atoms exiting the resonance region exhibit symmetric transition into trapped and untrapped spin states. A further numerical model, within the mean field approximation, is performed for an atomic pulse from an atom laser passing through the resonance. The extra coupling between states introduced by the spatial extent of the pulse causes a spread in the momentum of trapped and anti-trapped states that atoms are coupled into within the resonance. An experimental setup for the manipulation of the atomic spin states with an RF field is investigated and designed. The implications of these results is discussed regarding the design of a pumped atom laser using continuous RF evaporation.