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Author(s) |
Pradhan, S.; Gaur, S. J.; Manohar, K. G.; Jagatap, B. N. (L&PTD)
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Source |
Physical Review A - Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics, 2005. Vol. 72: Article no. 053407 |
ABSTRACT
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We demonstrate enhancement in the number of trapped cesium atoms in a magneto-optical trap MOT
using a control laser that illuminates only a small faction of the capture region of the trap without interacting with the cold cloud of atoms. The enhancement is maximized when the laser is slightly blue detuned with respect to the cooling transition. Trap loading curves point to approximately a twofold increase in the capture rate, which as a consequence results in the increase in the steady state number of trapped atoms. Enhanced loading is confirmed by MOT loading and decay curves taken under the modulation of the control laser beam. Optical pumping of the inaccessible Zeeman states into the stretched states is suggested as a possible mechanism |
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