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Physical Review A

Observation of periodic structures of atoms in a two-color magneto-optical trap

D. M. B. P. Milori, M. A. G. Martinez, A M Tuboy, Luís Gustavo Marcassa, J.P. Flemming, Renato Ejnisman, Sérgio Carlos Zílio, Vanderlei Salvador Bagnato

Published Apr 1, 1999• 5 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We have observed periodic structures of atoms when a bichromatic laser combination, with frequencies near the $D1$ and $D2$ lines, is used to produce a magneto-optical trap of sodium atoms. These periodic spatial distributions could not be explained on the basis of rectified force. Our interpretation relies on a possible spatial modulation of the damping and spring constants, resulting from the interference between the two atomic transitions.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.59.3101

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We have observed periodic structures of atoms when a bichromatic laser combination, with frequencies near the D1D1D1 and D2D2D2 lines, is used to produce a magneto-optical trap of sodium atoms. These periodic spatial distributions could not be explained on the basis of rectified force. Our interpretation relies on a possible spatial modulation of the damping and spring constants, resulting from the interference between the two atomic transitions.
We investigate the loading of a two-color vapor-cell magneto-optical trap for sodium atoms as a function of several operational parameters of the trap. We use two laser frequencies acting in different spatial regions to obtain either enhancement or inhibition of the capture mechanism. We demonstrate that the best enhancement is achieved when the trap operates on a combination of atomic transitions, known as type I tuning, by using a second laser beam to capture atoms through a different combination of transitions (type II tuning).
We present a theoretical analysis to explain the origin of different spatial distributions of laser-cooled sodium atoms in a magneto-optical trap. Such distributions, which include spherical clouds, rings, and rings with cores, are attributed to the radiation pressure due to misaligned Gaussian beams acting on each individual atom. The predictions of this theory are confirmed by experimental observations reported earlier. We were able to construct a diagram with several domains corresponding to the stable structures observed.
In this work we point out a theoretical picture accounting for some unpredicted trapping conditions that have been observed---but not satisfactorily explained---in the past and have been recently confirmed by our experiments. We have realized a sodium magneto-optical trap working on the ${3}^{2}{S}_{1/2}(F=1)\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{3}^{2}{P}_{3/2}{(F}^{\ensuremath{'}}=0)$ transition that, according to the usually accepted model, should not work. Our results, with respect to the previous unexplained observations, support more stringent conclusions because our experimental setup gives us the possibility to repump atoms from the F=2F=2F=2 state using D1{D}_{1}D1​ transitions. This definitely excludes that the repumping frequency may play a role in the trap dynamics. A peculiar perturbation approach allows us to demonstrate that the confinement force originates, in this case, from a magnetically induced level-mixing effect. Moreover, we describe separately the nature of damping and confining forces and we recognize that in this case they are due to different transitions. Trap simulations based on a dynamical three-dimensional model are presented, which quantitatively reproduce our experimental results.