Multiphoton Magnetooptical Trap

Journal Article · Fri Oct 23 04:00:00 EDT 2009 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.103.173003· OSTI ID:21370783

Saijun, Wu; Plisson, Thomas; Brown, Roger C; Phillips, William D; Porto, J V ^[1]

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1. Joint Quantum Institute, NIST and University of Maryland, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899 (United States)

We demonstrate a magnetooptical trap (MOT) configuration which employs optical forces due to light scattering between electronically excited states of the atom. With the standard MOT laser beams propagating along the x and y directions, the laser beams along the z direction are at a different wavelength that couples two sets of excited states. We demonstrate efficient cooling and trapping of cesium atoms in a vapor cell and sub-Doppler cooling on both the red and blue sides of the two-photon resonance. The technique demonstrated in this work may have applications in background-free detection of trapped atoms, and in assisting laser cooling and trapping of certain atomic species that require cooling lasers at inconvenient wavelengths.

• OSTI ID: 21370783
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 17 Vol. 103; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ALKALI METALS
BOSONS
CESIUM
COOLING
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
ENERGY LEVELS
EXCITED STATES
LASERS
LIGHT SCATTERING
MAGNETO-OPTICAL EFFECTS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
METALS
MULTI-PHOTON PROCESSES
PHOTONS
RESONANCE
SCATTERING
TRAPPING
WAVELENGTHS