Optical Talbot carpet with atomic density gratings obtained by standing-wave manipulation

Abstract

We report a method of generating atomic density gratings by standing-wave manipulation of ultracold Bose gases. By illuminating the gratings with a beam of homogeneous light, we observe one- and two-dimensional Talbot carpets. We further measure the autocorrelation function of the images, which varies with image plane position caused by Talbot effect. Periodically repeated self-images and subimages of the atomic density gratings are observed clearly. Our theoretical calculations and experimental results agree well with each other. The atomic density gratings hold promise for substituting for traditional gratings in many applications.