Abstract

In recent years resonant light pressure effects have attracted increasing attention¹; in this respect, e.g., laser cooling of atoms in a beam is an example of special practical interest.¹ Obviously, resonant light pressure also affects the atomic velocity distribution in a Doppler-broadened gaseous sample [see Fig. 1(a)]. Only recently, however, this simple but basic situation has been analyzed in some more detail: it has been found that the effect of radiation pressure can strongly modify the nonlinear susceptibility of a gas giving rise to new phenomena in its optical response^2,3; most important, a nonlinear dispersion has been predicted that displays an even symmetry with respect to the optical Doppler detuning.³

© 1987 Optical Society of America