Abstract

The interaction of atomic multi-level systems with resonant light leads in general to a polarization of the atomic ground state. In the presence of a transverse magnetic field, this polarization includes components perpendicular, as well as parallel to the laser beam. The influence of the longitudinal component on the absorption and dispersion of a polarized probe beam has been studied extensively. However, if the polarization also contains transverse components, they also change the propagation of resonant light. In general, the electric field of a probe laser beam includes then a longitudinal component, indicating that the laser beam no longer propagates parallel to its wavevector. If the beam is transmitted through an optically pumped medium, it will be displaced laterally by about one optical wavelength. This displacement reflects the conservation of angular momentum during the interaction of the light with the polarized atoms.

© 1992 IQEC