Velocity selection of atomic beams in a laser field

N. L. Kosulin, Vladimir S. Smirnov, Anatolii M Tumaikin

Eugeny Korsunsky, D. V. Kosachev, Boris G. Matisov +1 more

Cai Weiquan, Chen Hong-xin, Fusheng Li +3 more

It is possible to deflect a group of atoms with a certain velocity from an effusive atomic beam if we use a properly detuned laser beam with a small angle off orthogonal to the atomic beam. Theoretical and initial experimental results of this simple method for velocity selection are given.

C. Ávila

A production of low velocity and monoenergetic atomic beams would increase the resolution in spectroscopic studies and many other experiments in atomic physics. Laser Cooling uses the radiation pressure to decelerate and cool atoms. The effusing from a glow discharge metastable argon atomic beam is affected by a counterpropagating laser light tuned to the cycling transition in argon. The Zeeman shift caused by a spatially varying magnetic field compensates for the changing Doppler shift that takes the atoms out of resonance as they decelerated. Deceleration and velocity bunching of atoms to a final velocity that depends on the detuning of the laser relative to a frequency of the transition have been observed. Time-of-Flight (TOF) spectroscopy is used to examine the velocity distribution of the cooled atomic beam. These TOF studies of the laser cooled atomic beam demonstrate the utility of laser deceleration for atomic-beam "velocity selection".

Yu. G. Abashev, Gennady F. Voronin, R. A. Valitov