Light-induced force on atoms in a monochromatic light field with arbitrary polarization
A. V. Bezverbnyĭ, Gerard Nienhuis, Anatolii M Tumaikin
The light force on slow atoms in a light field with arbitrary polarization distribution is explicitly evaluated in the case of an atomic transition J yields J with half-integer J values. The expression of the force is based on an exact analytical expression for the steady-state density matrix of the atoms. The force is naturally separated in contributions resulting from gradients of the field intensity, the polarization ellipticity, and the phase. In addition to a conservative part this force also contains a vortex component. In areas of spatial localization, where the total force vanishes, the atomic motion is governed by a potential, which in general is not harmonic for J greater than 1/2. Simple model of the formation of a one- or two-dimensional spatial atomic grating in a specific light field configuration illustrates the results.
Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Oct 21, 1998•0 citations