title: Multiphoton magnetooptical trap.
abstract: We demonstrate a magnetooptical trap (MOT) configuration which employs optical forces due to light scattering between electronically excited states of the atom. With the standard MOT laser beams propagating along the x and y directions, the laser beams along the z direction are at a different wavelength that couples two sets of excited states. We demonstrate efficient cooling and trapping of cesium atoms in a vapor cell and sub-Doppler cooling on both the red and blue sides of the two-photon resonance. The technique demonstrated in this work may have applications in background-free detection of trapped atoms, and in assisting laser cooling and trapping of certain atomic species that require cooling lasers at inconvenient wavelengths.
authors.affiliation: Joint Quantum Institute, NIST and University of Maryland, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA.
authors.forename: Saijun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Plisson
authors.forename: Roger C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: William D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: J V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Porto