Journal of the Optical Society of America B

Forces acting on magneto-optically trapped atoms

I. Guedes, M. T. de Araújo, D. M. B. P. Milori, Gregory I. Surdutovich, Vanderlei Salvador Bagnato, Sérgio Carlos Zílio

Published Oct 1, 1994• 24 citations

Abstract

We investigated how the size of ring-shaped clouds of cold, magneto-optically trapped sodium atoms depends on the trapping parameters: magnetic-field gradient and laser intensity, detuning, and misalignment. The experiments were carried out in the low-density regime (N < 106 atoms), and the ring radius was shown to be independent of the number of trapped atoms. The results are explained with a simple model including a coordinate-dependent vortex force and the usual magneto-optical trap forces.

DOI: 10.1364/josab.11.001935

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