Effect of the Quantum Mechanical Momentum in Laser Cooling

Kenji Shu, Sohma Shiraishi, Kosuke Yoshioka

We present a formulation and numerical results for positronium (Ps) laser cooling. The formulation is based on the Lindblad master equation and follows the time evolution of the density matrix of Ps atoms. It therefore accounts for atomic coherence, which is necessary to describe the interaction of Ps with the train of short laser pulses generated by the system developed by Shu $\textit{et al.}$ [K. Shu $\textit{et al.}$, Phys. Rev. A $\textbf{109}$, 043520 (2024)]. Using this formulation, we calculate the time evolution of the populations in each internal and momentum state and thereby quantitatively predict the momentum distribution after laser cooling. We present the representative time evolution of the internal-state populations and momentum distribution, together with a comprehensive scan of the laser parameters used to optimize the cooling efficiency. A prominent feature of the simulated distributions is sub-recoil cooling through velocity-selective coherent population trapping, a coherent effect captured by the quantum-mechanical treatment.

Eugeny Korsunsky, A. Snegiriov, Vyacheslav M Gordienko +2 more

Stig Stenholm

This paper reviews the basic theory of the mechanical action of light in resonant interaction with atoms. At present the main application is laser cooling, but the approach is applicable to a broader range of phenomena. It is based on an adiabatic elimination philosophy, which turns out to give the lowest-order quantum corrections to the behavior found when the photon momentum goes to zero. Hence it is called a semiclassical theory. In this manner a subjective but consistent approach can be presented; other treatments are incorporated or mentioned at the appropriate places. Both the classical and the quantum-mechanical approach are discussed. Those readers who wish to obtain only a heuristic overview of the phenomena can concentrate on Sec. III, which treats both the photon momentum effects and their connection with photon counting statistics. The detailed theoretical treatment utilizes Wigner functions and Fokker-Planck techniques. The ensuing theory is applied both to the cooling of free particles and trapped ones. The paper ends with an extensive bibliography, where the author lists most papers of interest for research into the mechanical manifestations of light. For completeness, many papers are included that are not explicitly mentioned in the text.

Yvan Castin, Jean Dalibard

R. Ya. Ilenkov, A. V. Taǐchenachev, Valeriy I. Yudin +1 more

The work is devoted to the study of the features and parameters of the momentum distributions of atoms laser cooled on weak optical transitions. It was shown that atoms distributions are described by a bimodal momentum distribution whose characteristics depends on the parameters of the light field. In a strong field a velocity selective coherent population trapping effect is observed.

Ghosh, Pradip N