Abstract

The motion-induced orientation cooling effect of the corkscrew polarization laser cooling scheme is optimized in the regime where the scattering force is the dominant force on the atom [1]. However corkscrew polarized light can also occur along with other polar ization gradients (in different directions) in many 3D laser cooling configurations. Thus an atom may encounter corkscrew polarized fields in a cooling scheme which has been optimized for a different polarization gradient. It is important, therefore to consider the behaviour of atoms in corkscrew polarized fields in other regimes, such as, e.g., where the conservative redistribution force is dominant and the optical pumping time is relatively long.

© 1996 IEEE