Multiphoton magnetooptical trap.
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.
Wu
Saijun
S
Joint Quantum Institute, NIST and University of Maryland, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA.
Plisson
Thomas
T
Brown
Roger C
RC
Phillips
William D
WD
Porto
J V
JV