The momentum of light in a medium and the mechanisms of momentum transfer between light and dielectrics have long been the topic of controversies and confusion. We discuss here the problem of momentum transfers that follow the refraction of light by dilute, inhomogeneous ensembles of ultra-cold atoms. We show experimentally and theoretically that the refraction of light rays by a dilute gas does not entail momentum transfers to first order in the light-atom coupling coefficient, in contradiction with the work reported in Matzliah et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 189902 (2017).
The momentum of light in a medium and the mechanisms of momentum transfer between light and dielectrics have long been the topic of controversies and confusion. We discuss here the problem of momentum transfers that follow the refraction of light by dilute, inhomogeneous ensembles of ultra-cold atoms. We show experimentally and theoretically that the refraction of light rays by a dilute gas does not entail momentum transfers to first order in the light-atom coupling coefficient, in contradiction with the work reported in Matzliah et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 189902 (2017).
On the basis of the general theoretical approach developed previously by Fofanov et al. [Ya. A. Fofanov et al., Phys. Rev. A 84, 053811 (2011)], we analyze the atomic polarization created by weak monochromatic light in an optically thick, dense, and cold atomic ensemble placed in an electrostatic field. On this basis, we determine complex refractive indexes and the permittivity tensor of the medium. We analyze the dispersion of the permittivity and its dependence on the strength of the field and on the density of the medium. We show that electro-optic effects in dilute and cold gases differ essentially from those in dense ones. In the latter case, electric field modifies the shape, amplitude, and typical linewidth of the atomic resonance. The electric field also modifies the collective Lamb shift. Observed peculiarities are explained as a result of the indirect influence of the field on optical properties of dense gases through modification of polyatomic collective effects caused by interatomic dipole-dipole interactions.
On the basis of general theoretical results developed previously in [JETP 112, 246 (2011)], we analyze the atomic polarization created by weak monochromatic light in an optically thick, dense, and cold atomic ensemble. We show that the amplitude of the polarization averaged over a uniform random atomic distribution decreases exponentially beyond the boundary regions. The phase of this polarization increases linearly with increasing penetration into the medium. On these grounds, we determine numerically the wavelength of the light in the dense atomic medium, its extinction coefficient, and the complex refractive index and dielectric constant of the medium. The dispersion of the permittivity is investigated for different atomic densities. It is shown that, for dense clouds, the real part of the permittivity is negative in some spectral domains.
Collective effects in the atom–light interaction are of great importance for cold-atom-based quantum devices or fundamental studies on light transport in complex media. Here we discuss and compare three different approaches to light scattering by dilute cold atomic ensembles. The first approach is a coupled-dipole model, valid at low intensity, which includes cooperative effects, such as superradiance, and other coherent properties. The second one is a random-walk model, which includes classical multiple scattering and neglects coherence effects. The third approach is a crude approximation based only on the attenuation of the excitation beam inside the medium, the so-called shadow effect. We show that in the case of a low-density sample, the random-walk approach is an excellent approximation for steady-state light scattering and that the shadow effect surprisingly gives rather accurate results at least up to optical depths on the order of 15.
In the preceding chapters, we discussed the manipulation and observation of atomic variables associated with the internal degrees of freedom. A complete separation between internal and external degrees of freedom, like position and momentum, is not always possible, however. It therefore appears appropriate to include a discussion of the mechanical effects of light, which have received increasing attention in recent years. The transfer of momentum between photons and atoms, first observed more than sixty years ago, had to wait for the wide availability of lasers to become a useful experimental tool. In particular the cooling of atoms and atomic ions to very low temperatures has found numerous applications. Light-induced forces That light exerts mechanical forces on massive particles like atoms may appear surprising. To motivate the existence of such an effect two different approaches are possible. The first approach considers the light as a collection of photons that carry, apart from energy and angular momentum, linear momentum as well. Photons interacting with atoms can therefore change the momentum of the atoms. The second approach considers light as a wave, i.e., an inhomogeneous electromagnetic field interacting with the atomic dipole moment. Both approaches provide a possible description for the numerous phenomena that can occur in this context, but in many situations, one of them turns out to be more intuitive or more useful for calculations than the other.
Abstract When a cold atomic gas is illuminated by a quasi-resonant laser beam, light-induced dipole–dipole correlations make the scattering of light a cooperative process. Once a fluid description is adopted for the atoms, many scattering properties are captured by the definition of a complex refractive index. The solution of the scattering problem is here presented for spherical atomic clouds of arbitrary density profiles, such as parabolic densities characteristic of ultra-cold clouds. A new solution for clouds with infinite boundaries is derived, which is particularly useful for the Gaussian densities of thermal atomic clouds. The presence of Mie resonances, a signature of the cloud acting as a cavity for the light, is discussed. These resonances leave their fingerprint in various observables such as the scattered intensity or in the radiation pressure force, and can be observed by tuning the frequency of the incident laser field or the atom number.
Atom traps Light forces It is well known that a light beam carries momentum and that the scattering of light by an object produces a force. This property of light was first demonstrated by Frish [139] through the observation of a very small transverse deflection (3 × 10 –5 rad) in a sodium atomic beam exposed to light from a resonance lamp. With the invention of the laser, it became easier to observe effects of this kind because the strength of the force is greatly enhanced by the use of intense and highly directional light fields, as demonstrated by Ashkin [20, 21] with the manipulation of transparent dielectric spheres suspended in water. The results obtained by Frish and Ashkin raised the possibility of using light forces to control the motion of neutral atoms. Although the understanding of light forces acting on atoms was already established by the end of the 1970s, unambiguous demonstration of atom cooling and trapping was not accomplished before the mid 1980s. In this section we discuss some fundamental aspects of light forces and schemes employed to cool and trap neutral atoms. The light force exerted on an atom can be of two types: a dissipative, spontaneous force and a conservative, dipole force. The spontaneous force arises from the impulse experienced by an atom when it absorbs or emits a quantum of photon momentum.