Continuous coherent Lyman- alpha excitation of atomic hydrogen.
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.
Eikema
K S
KS
Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Strasse 1, 85748 Garching, Germany.
Walz
J
J
Hänsch
T W
TW