Bimodal speed distributions in laser-cooled atoms
Yaakov Shevy, David S. Weiss, P. J. Ungar +1 more
We report a bimodal speed distribution for sodium atoms cooled in ``optical molasses.'' The temperatures of the two velocity groups differ in their dependence on laser detuning, sensitivity to beam misalignment and imbalance, polarization, and the presence of static magnetic fields. We believe that this behavior is evidence for two distinct cooling mechanisms.
Physical Review Letters•Mar 6, 1989•45 citations