Abstract

We have experimentally and theoretically characterized oscillations in the transmission of a cw laser beam propagating through an atomic sodium vapor in the presence of a buffer gas. Our work indicates that this phenomenon may be attributed to the light-induced drift of absorbing sodium atoms.^1,2 Earlier investigations of this process did not report such oscillations, while the first observation of the oscillations³ did not involve a detailed characterization of the effect of buffer gas pressure and laser beam intensity.

© 1990 Optical Society of America