Continuous Coherent Lyman- α Excitation of Atomic Hydrogen
K. S. E. Eikema, J. Walz, Theodor W. Hänsch
The 1S-2P transition in atomic hydrogen has been observed for the first time with almost natural linewidth. We employ a unique source of continuous coherent Lyman- alpha radiation based on four-wave mixing in mercury. The output of the source has been improved 40-fold to yield 20 nW. This demonstration shows that laser cooling and detection with continuous Lyman- alpha radiation has excellent prospects for future experiments with antihydrogen.
Physical Review Letters•Jun 18, 2001•103 citations