Experimental Observation of Optically Trapped Atoms
- 21 July 1986
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review Letters
- Vol. 57 (3), 314-317
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.57.314
Abstract
We report the first observation of optically trapped atoms. Sodium atoms cooled below K in "optical molasses" are captured by a dipole-force optical trap created by a single, strongly focused, Gaussian laser beam tuned several hundred gigahertz below the resonance transition. We estimate that about 500 atoms are confined in a volume of about μ at a density of - . Trap lifetimes are limited by background pressure to several seconds. The observed trapping behavior is in good quantitative agreement with theoretical expectations.
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