25.07.2013 Views

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

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

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

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

scattering photons out <strong>of</strong> a resonant beam to form a “shadow” on a CCD<br />

camera. <strong>The</strong> second technique, fluorescent imaging, places the atomic sample<br />

in optical molasses and a portion <strong>of</strong> the resulting fluorescence is captured and<br />

imaged. <strong>The</strong>se two imaging techniques are somewhat complementary because<br />

absorption imaging yields spatial information while fluorescence imaging is<br />

more sensitive to atom number.<br />

2.8.1 Absorption Imaging<br />

Absorption imaging can be understood by imagining a near- or on-<br />

resonance laser beam passing through an atomic sample. As discussed in Sec.<br />

2.5.2.2, atoms in the sample will each scatter photons out <strong>of</strong> the laser beam<br />

at a rate<br />

Rscatt = Γ<br />

2<br />

(I/Isat)<br />

1 + 4(∆/Γ) 2 + (I/Isat) .<br />

We can use this equation to define the atomic scattering cross section σ as the<br />

power scattered by each atom per incoming light intensity (σ = Rscattω/I)<br />

where<br />

σ =<br />

σ0<br />

1 + 4(∆/Γ) 2 , (2.102)<br />

+ (I/Isat)<br />

σ0 = ωΓ<br />

, (2.103)<br />

2Isat<br />

is the on-resonance, low saturation cross section. As the laser beam passes<br />

through the atomic cloud scattering will reduce its intensity according to Beer’s<br />

law<br />

dI<br />

dz<br />

= −σn(x,y,z)I, (2.104)<br />

80

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!