We report the results of an experimental study on the interaction of cooled cesium atoms with the optical field of two standing waves having different wavelengths (852 and 894 nm) and opposite circular polarizations. The spatial modulation of the superposition of the two optical potentials and the polarization properties of this configuration are expected to produce cooling of the atoms and a spatial modulation of their density with the periodicity of the beat of the two wavelengths. We performed temperature measurements of the cesium sample and observed the density distribution of the atoms for several configurations of the standing wave by means of time-of-flight absorption imaging and fluorescence imaging techniques. Experimentally we could not observe a pronounced density modulation on the length scale of the superperiod. Reasons for this are revealed by a one-dimensional numerical simulation including the complexity of the full Zeeman structure of the cesium atoms. That simulation reproduces the experimental results for the temperatures and spatial confinement.
One-dimensional bichromatic standing-wave cooling of cesium atoms
CIAMPINI, DONATELLA;ARIMONDO, ENNIO;
2003-01-01
Abstract
We report the results of an experimental study on the interaction of cooled cesium atoms with the optical field of two standing waves having different wavelengths (852 and 894 nm) and opposite circular polarizations. The spatial modulation of the superposition of the two optical potentials and the polarization properties of this configuration are expected to produce cooling of the atoms and a spatial modulation of their density with the periodicity of the beat of the two wavelengths. We performed temperature measurements of the cesium sample and observed the density distribution of the atoms for several configurations of the standing wave by means of time-of-flight absorption imaging and fluorescence imaging techniques. Experimentally we could not observe a pronounced density modulation on the length scale of the superperiod. Reasons for this are revealed by a one-dimensional numerical simulation including the complexity of the full Zeeman structure of the cesium atoms. That simulation reproduces the experimental results for the temperatures and spatial confinement.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.