Four-Color Stimulated Optical Forces for Atomic and Molecular Slowing
release_rev_c410c410-3afc-40b8-b8fb-a22549e9b998
by
S. E. Galica, L. Aldridge, E. E. Eyler
2013
Abstract
Stimulated optical forces offer a simple and efficient method for providing
optical forces far in excess of the saturated radiative force. The bichromatic
force, using a counterpropagating pair of two-color beams, has so far been the
most effective of these stimulated forces for deflecting and slowing atomic
beams. We have numerically studied the evolution of a two-level system under
several different bichromatic and polychromatic light fields, while retaining
the overall geometry of the bichromatic force. New insights are gained by
studying the time-dependent trajectory of the Bloch vector, including a better
understanding of the remarkable robustness of bi- and polychromatic forces with
imbalanced beam intensities. We show that a four-color polychromatic force
exhibits great promise. By adding new frequency components at the third
harmonic of the original bichromatic detuning, the force is increased by nearly
50% and its velocity range is extended by a factor of three, while the required
laser power is increased by only 33%. The excited-state fraction, crucial to
possible application to molecules, is reduced from 41% to 24%. We also discuss
some important differences between polychromatic forces and pulse trains from a
high-repetition-rate laser.
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1307.7156v2
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