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Soviet Physics Uspekhi

Cooling atoms by means of laser radiation pressure

V. I. Balykin, Vladilen S Letokhov, Vladimir G. Minogin

Published Sep 30, 1985• 17 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The present state of research on the cooling of atomic ensembles by means of laser radiation pressure is discussed. First the basic theory of resonance radiation pressure is reviewed. The effect of recoil on the drift and fluctuations of the momentum of an atom interacting with resonance radiation is examined. There is an analysis of the forces acting on an atom in some simple light fields: a traveling plane wave, a Gaussian beam, and counterpropagating Gaussian beams. The review then focuses on the monochromatization of atoms by resonance radiation pressure and related methods for laser cooling of atoms. The roles played by the radiation pressure force and by momentum diffusion in shaping the narrow velocity distributions of the ensemble of atoms are analyzed. The lowest temperature obtainable in the radiation cooling of atoms is estimated. The basic experimental methods for laser cooling of atomic beams are described. Problems of the three-dimensional cooling of atomic ensembles and problems of localizing cold atoms in light fields, steady-state magnetic fields, and electrostatic fields are discussed. The review concludes with a discussion of some applications of cold atoms in high-precision spectroscopy, frequency standards, and atomic physics.

DOI
10.1070/pu1985v028n09abeh003993

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The present state of research on the cooling of atomic ensembles by means of laser radiation pressure is discussed. First the basic theory of resonance radiation pressure is reviewed. The effect of recoil on the drift and fluctuations of the momentum of an atom interacting with resonance radiation is examined. There is an analysis of the forces acting on an atom in some simple light fields: a traveling plane wave, a Gaussian beam, and counterpropagating Gaussian beams. The review then focuses on the monochromatization of atoms by resonance radiation pressure and related methods for laser cooling of atoms. The roles played by the radiation pressure force and by momentum diffusion in shaping the narrow velocity distributions of the ensemble of atoms are analyzed. The lowest temperature obtainable in the radiation cooling of atoms is estimated. The basic experimental methods for laser cooling of atomic beams are described. Problems of the three-dimensional cooling of atomic ensembles and problems of localizing cold atoms in light fields, steady-state magnetic fields, and electrostatic fields are discussed. The review concludes with a discussion of some applications of cold atoms in high-precision spectroscopy, frequency standards, and atomic physics.
We present a simple review of the basic physical processes allowing one to control, with laser beams, the velocity and the position of neutral atoms. The control of the velocity corresponds to a cooling of atoms, that is, a reduction of the atomic velocity spread around a given value. The control of the position means a trapping of atoms in real space. The best present performances will be given, in terms of the lowest temperatures and the highest densities. The corresponding highest quantum degeneracy will also be estimated. It is imposed by fundamental limits, which will be described briefly. We also give the general trends in this field of research and outline the new directions which look promising for observing quantum statistical effects in laser cooled atomic samples, but which are for the moment restricted by unsolved problems. Introducing the Simple Schemes The radiative forces acting on atoms in a light field can be split into two parts, a reactive one and a dissipative one. The dissipative force (radiation pressure), which basically involves scattering processes, is velocity dependent. We will see that this dependence leads to the Doppler cooling scheme and to the concept of optical molasses, and we will give the corresponding minimal achievable temperature. The dissipative force can be made position dependent, through a gradient of the magnetic field, so that the atoms are also trapped in the so-called magneto-optical trap.
The study of the motion of neutral atoms under the action of light fields dates back to work of Albert Einstein published as early as 1916. This chapter describes a sample of molecules subjected to a thermal light field. It discusses atoms having only two levels at some optical energy separation. The chapter also discusses radiation pressure in two important examples of light fields, plane travelling and plane standing waves. The two-level atom interacting with a monochromatic laser mode represents one of the most fundamental models in quantum optics and has been extensively studied. The light-shift is an important phenomenon at the basis of many laser cooling mechanisms. In the presence of interaction, the combined system of an ‘atom plus light-field’ is often referred to as the ‘dressed atom’. The steady state temperature in Equation represents the minimum temperature that can be achieved with radiation pressure cooling and can be quite small.
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.
The use of resonant radiation pressure produced by an axisymmetric light field for collimating atomic beams is considered. As an example the possibility is examined of collimating an atomic beam by the light field created by reflecting a plane wave from the inner surface of a metal cone. It is shown that radiation pressure makes it possible to reduce the transverse velocities of an atomic beam to values of order 100 cm/s, which corresponds to an effective temperature on the order of 0.001 K. A method for obtaining collimated beams of cold atoms that is based on combined slowing-down and collimation of atom beams in response to the pressure of resonant laser radiation is examined. 16 references.
Recent advances in experimental laser cooling have shown the possibility of stopping an atomic beam using the light pressure force of a counter-propagating laser wave. As an application to laser cooling, it is proposed to build a single frequency cesium laser that has a narrow linewidth. Laser cooling techniques are used to cool an atomic beam of cesium to an average velocity of 5 m/s, corresponding to a temperature of 0.2°K. Expressions of the basic forces that a laser wave exerts on atoms are derived according to a semi-classical approach. The experimental problems and methods of avoiding these problems are treated in detail. A computer Monte-Carlo simulation is used to discuss the feasibility of building the proposed laser. This simulation was done for an ensemble of 10,000 atoms of cesium, and it included the effects of the gravitational force and the related experimental variables. The possibility of building single frequency lasers that use a cooled medium of noble gases, and many other applications of laser cooling are briefly discussed at the end of this work.