Abstract

Since the first optical molasses¹ came out, the temperature of the atomic vapor in the optical molasses, which was determined by measuring the time of flight (TOF), was found to be well below the Doppler cooling limit,² which is based on the assumption that a single frequency laser interacts with the two-energy-level atoms. The new theory³ proposes that this lower temperature is due to the nonadiabatic motion of the atoms with Zeeman sublevels in the optical field with polarization gradients. A bimodal speed distribution in optical molasses was also observed.⁴

© 1990 Optical Society of America