Time-of-Flight Measurements of the Laser Cooled Argon Atomic Beam.
Abstract
Time-of-flight (TOF) spectroscopy is used to examine the velocity distribution of a metastable argon "cool" atomic beam. The atoms effusing from a glow discharge form a beam ycling transition in argon (between the 4s[3/2] J=2 metastable state and the 4p[5/2] J=3 state). The Zeeman shift caused by a spatially varying magnetic field compensates for the changing Doppler shift that takes the atoms out of resonance as they decelerate. Deceleration and velocity bunching of atoms to a final velocity that depends on the detuning of the laser relative to a frequency of the transition are observed. For final velocities of about 200m/s, the width of the cooled atoms peak is less than 6density of the decelerated atom beam is 10 times that in the thermal distribution. These TOF studies of the laser cooled atomic beam demonstrate the utility of laser deceleration for "velocity selection". (Supported by AFOSR Grant F49620-93-1-0159DEF)
- Publication:
-
APS Southeastern Section Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- November 1996
- Bibcode:
- 1996APS..SES..BB02A