Abstract

Recently, different research teams have observed the transitions of laser-cooled atoms between vibrational levels in optical potential wells in the lin ⊥ lin laser configuration.^1,2, The case of F_g = F ↔ F_e = F + 1 transitions, in which F_g, F_e are angular moments of the ground and the excited states, respectively, has been examined. The physical mechanism of this phenomenon originates from the quantized motion of the atomic center of mass in periodic potential wells created by nonuniform light-induced shifts of Zeeman ground-state sublevels.

© 1995 Optical Society of America