The interaction of a beam of two level atoms with a standing wave laser field has been the subject of extensive investigation in recent times. A standing wave perpendicular to an atomic beam allows the manipulation of the transverse velocity distribution. The interaction of an atomic beam with a strong standing wave laser field has been systematically investigated by both theoretical simulation and experiment in this thesis. We have developed a numerical model based on a continued fraction solution for the light pressure forces to simulate the near perpendicular interaction of an atomic beam with a strong standing wave laser field. The reshaping of the transverse spatial profile of an atomic beam by a perpendicular, near resonant, standing wave laser field is investigated for red detunings using a longitudinal velocity selective detection system. The experimental dependence of the reshaped profile on the longitudinal and transverse atomic velocities agrees well with a continued fraction solution for the light force. In particular, a regime is found where channelling of the atoms near the antinodes of the standing wave produces a central peak in the spatial distribution of the atomic beam in the far field which have also been observed elsewhere.
The forces acting on a resonance particle in the fields of laser radiation sources can be large. Acceleration, heating, and cooling of atoms by using these forces are discussed. Since the forces are of a resonance type, one can employ them to separate isotopes and excited atoms from unexcited atoms. Light pressure can play an important role in the spectroscopy of narrow atomic and molecular resonances. The quantum features of the motion of particles in a standing light wave are manifested in a fine structure of the absorption coefficient. This review is concerned with analyzing the resonance light-pressure forces and discussing the application of them in optics and quantum electronics.