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Physical Review Letters

Observation of Quantum Diffractive Velocity-Changing Collisions by Use of Two-Level Heavy Optical Radiators

Richard A. Forber, L. Spinelli, J. E. Thomas, Michael S. Feld

Published Jan 31, 1983• 50 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Coherence-preserving collisions for optical radiator-perturber scattering are studied by means of a velocity-selective photon-echo technique, using ytterbium atoms as heavy, long-lived, two-level radiators. These experiments establish the quantum diffractive nature of the radiator velocity change by demonstrating quantitative agreement with calculations. Radiator-destruction cross sections obtained with use of both Lamb dip and echo techniques agree to within 10%.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.50.331

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Coherence-preserving collisions for optical radiator-perturber scattering are studied by means of a velocity-selective photon-echo technique, using ytterbium atoms as heavy, long-lived, two-level radiators. These experiments establish the quantum diffractive nature of the radiator velocity change by demonstrating quantitative agreement with calculations. Radiator-destruction cross sections obtained with use of both Lamb dip and echo techniques agree to within 10%.
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