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Single-Photon Atomic Cooling - Raizen Lab - The University of ...

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maxima. Our experiment makes extensive use <strong>of</strong> blue-detuned optical sheets<br />

which act as repulsive walls. We combine several <strong>of</strong> these sheets to form op-<br />

tical boxes for trapping atoms. Specific detail on this technique can be found<br />

in Ch. 4.<br />

Although not derived here, a very similar consideration leads to an<br />

expression for the optical scattering rate valid in the same limits as Eq. 2.53<br />

[68].<br />

Γsc(r) = 3πc2<br />

2ω 2 0<br />

2 Γ<br />

I(r) (2.54)<br />

∆<br />

Notice that the scattering rate varies as ∼ 1/∆ 2 , so that for a sufficiently large<br />

detuning the optical dipole force completely dominates forces due to optical<br />

scattering.<br />

2.5.2 Scattering Forces<br />

When an optical field is near an atomic resonance it is scattering forces<br />

that dominate the atom-light interaction. <strong>The</strong> non-conservative nature <strong>of</strong> the<br />

spontaneous scattering process means that radiative forces can be used to cool<br />

atomic ensembles. Here I will discuss the scattering rate and resulting force<br />

in the semi-classical approximation, treating the atom as a two-level quantum<br />

system and the optical field as classical. I will then shows how this is used to<br />

cool and confine atoms in our experiment.<br />

49

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