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Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE

Stimulated light forces using picosecond laser pulses

Immanuel Bloch, A. Goepfert, D. Haubrich, Frank Lison, R. Schuetze, R. Wynands, Dieter Meschede

Published May 1, 1997• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Using the stimulated force exerted by counterpropagating picosecond laser pulses from a mode-locked Ti:Sapphire laser we were able to focus a beam of laser-cooled cesium atoms along one dimension to about 57% of its original width in the detection zone. The force profile was measured outside and inside the overlap region of the pulses and found to be in agreement with an earlier theoretical prediction. A brief theoretical account of the interaction of atoms with pulsed laser light based on the optical Bloch equations is given.

DOI
10.1117/12.273751

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Using the stimulated force exerted by counterpropagating picosecond laser pulses from a mode-locked Ti:Sapphire laser we were able to focus a beam of laser-cooled cesium atoms along one dimension to about 57% of its original width in the detection zone. The force profile was measured outside and inside the overlap region of the pulses and found to be in agreement with an earlier theoretical prediction. A brief theoretical account of the interaction of atoms with pulsed laser light based on the optical Bloch equations is given.
Using the stimulated force exerted by counterpropagating \ensuremath{\pi} pulses from a mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser we have focused a beam of laser-cooled cesium atoms along one dimension to about 57% of its original width in the detection zone. We determined the force profile outside and inside the overlap region of the pulses and found agreement with an earlier theoretical prediction. The scheme does not require an effective two-level system and is therefore suitable for a large variety of elements.
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.
We show that it is possible to model accurately optical phenomena in intense laser fields by taking into account the intensity distribution over the laser beam. We present an extension of an earlier theoretical model that divides an intense laser beam into concentric regions, each with a Rabi frequency that corresponds to the intensity in that region, and solve a set of coupled optical Bloch equations for the density matrix in each region. Experimentally obtained magneto-optical resonance curves for the ${F}_{g}=2\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}{F}_{e}=1$ transition of the D1{D}_{1}D1​ line of 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb agree very well with the theoretical model up to a laser intensity of around 200 mW/cm2{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}cm2 for a transition whose saturation intensity is around 4.5 mW/cm2{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}cm2. We examine the spatial dependence of the fluorescence intensity in an intense laser beam experimentally and theoretically. We present and discuss the results of an experiment in which a broad, intense pump laser excites the ${F}_{g}=4\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}{F}_{e}=4$ transition of the D2{D}_{2}D2​ line of cesium while a narrow probe beam scans the atoms within the pump beam and excites the D1{D}_{1}D1​ line of cesium, whose fluorescence is recorded as a function of probe beam position. Experimentally obtained spatial profiles of the fluorescence intensity agree qualitatively with the predictions of the model.
We have measured the deflection of a thermal sodium beam by a force existing in a field of two counterpropagating short laser pulses. This field was created by a Π-pulse train of a mode-locked (mode) (spacing 82 MHz) dye laser beam, perpendicularly crossing a thermal sodium beam and retroreflected from a mirror behind it. Unlike the spontaneous force, this Π-pulse force is not limited by saturation effects and does not heat up the sodium beam transversally. Calculations yield a maximum Π-pulse force about three times larger than the spontaneous force, being in good agreement with our experimental results.
Heavy atoms play a critical role in scientific research and applications by providing a better understanding of fundamental physical phenomena. The use of a slowed atomic beam to extend the interaction time is expected to enhance measurement sensitivity, resolution, and precision. Here, we theoretically demonstrate a rapid and short-distance deceleration of heavy atoms by using a continuous stimulated force with optical phase compensation and frequency chirping. The scheme effectively overcomes the spatial inhomogeneity of the stimulated force on atoms during deceleration. Our approach employs the numerical solutions of the optical Bloch equations for two-level atoms driven by time-dependent fields, and simulates atom trajectories using a three-dimensional Monte Carlo method. Concerning a buffer-gas-cooled radium atom beam with an initial velocity of 130 m/s, from our simulations it can be decelerated to 5 m/s within 5 cm distance using 40 mW laser power, achieving a deceleration force approximately 35 times stronger than the radiation force and covering an effective velocity range over eight times that of the radiation force. In addition, the deceleration of other heavy atoms, such as francium and thallium, also are applicable. This approach offers an efficient tool for rapidly slowing and cooling complex atoms and molecules, facilitating future precision measurements.