Self-sustained oscillations in a large magneto-optical trap.
We have observed self-sustained radial oscillations in a large magneto-optical trap, containing up to 10(10) Rb85 atoms. This instability is due to the competition between the confining force of the magneto-optical trap and the repulsive interaction associated with multiple scattering of light inside the cold atomic cloud. A simple analytical model allows us to formulate a criterion for the instability threshold, in fair agreement with our observations. This criterion shows that large numbers of trapped atoms N>10(9) are required to observe this unstable behavior.
Institut Non Linéaire de Nice, UMR 6618, 1361 route des Lucioles, F-06560 Valbonne, France.
G
G
Labeyrie
F
F
Michaud
R
R
Kaiser