One- and Two-Dimensional Arrays of Double-Well Optical Traps for Cold Atoms or Molecules

We propose a novel scheme to form one- and two-dimensional arrays of double-well optical dipole traps for cold atoms (or molecules) by using an optical system composed of a binary π-phase grating and a lens illuminated by a plane light wave, and study the relationship between the maximum intensity I_max of each optical well (or the maximum trapping potential U_max for ⁸⁵Rb atoms) and the relative aperture β(= a/f) of the lens. We also calculate the intensity gradients of each optical well and their curvatures, and estimate the spontaneous photon-scattering rate of trapped atom in each well, including Rayleigh and Raman scattering rates. Our study shows that the proposed 1D and 2D arrays of double-well traps can be used to prepare 1D and 2D novel optical lattices with cold atoms (or molecules), or form an all-optically integrated atom optical chip, or even to realize an array of all-optical double-well atomic (or molecular) Bose--Einstein condensates by optical-potential evaporative cooling, and so on.