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1 Introduction to light forces, atom cooling, and atom trapping.

Craig M. Savage

Published Jan 1, 1995• 6 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

This paper introduces and reviews light forces, atom cooling, and atom trapping. The emphasis is on the physics of the basic processes. In discussing conservative forces the semiclassical dressed states are used rather than the usual quantised-field dressed states.

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•Sep 29, 1999•0 citations
A review is presented of some of the principal techniques of laser cooling and trapping that have been developed during the past 20 years. Its approach is primarily experimental, but its quantitative descriptions are consistent in notation with most of the theoretical literature. It begins with a simplified introduction to optical forces on atoms, including both cooling and trapping. Then its three main sections discuss its three selected features, (1) quantization of atomic motion, (2) effects of the multilevel structure of atoms, and (3) the effects of polychromatic light. Each of these features is an expansion in a different direction from the simplest model of a classical, two-level atom moving in a monochromatic laser field.
This review describes the methods of trapping cold atoms in electromagnetic fields and in the combined electromagnetic and gravity fields. We discuss first the basic types of the dipole radiation forces used for cooling and trapping atoms in the laser fields. We outline next the fundamentals of the laser cooling of atoms and classify the temperature limits for basic laser cooling processes. The main body of the review is devoted to discussion of atom traps based on the dipole radiation forces, dipole magnetic forces, combined dipole radiation-magnetic forces, and the forces combined of the dipole radiation-magnetic and gravity forces. Physical fundamentals of atom traps operating as waveguides and cavities for cold atoms are also considered. The review ends with the applications of cold and trapped atoms in atomic, molecular and optical physics.
Introduction and review of quantum mechanics: Review of Quantum Mechanics.- The Density Matrix.- Force on Two-Level Atoms.- Multi-Level Atoms.- General Properties Concerning Laser Cooling. Cooling and Trapping: Deceleration of an Atomic Beam.- Optical Molasses.- Cooling Below the Doppler Limit.- The Dipole Force.- Magentic Trapping of Neutral Atoms.- Optical Traps for Neutral Atoms.- Evaporative Cooling. Applications: Newtonian Atom Optics.- Ultra-Cold Collisions.- deBrooglie-Wave Optics.- Optical Lattices.- Bose -Einstein Condensation.- Dark States.