Abstract
Reduced-period optical lattices based on Raman transitions allow for sub-Doppler laser cooling. An important parameter of this Raman optical lattice is the frequency difference between two virtual energy levels involved in the atom-field interaction scheme. In this work, we use experimental time-of-flight data and quantum simulations to characterize laser cooling in the Raman lattice as a function of . Two different domains of laser cooling are identified. For small , atoms are cooled due to a well-known mechanism that also occurs in standard optical lattices. For large , atoms are cooled based on Raman transitions. We study the transition between the two domains of laser cooling in detail.
- Received 9 June 2006
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.74.033404
©2006 American Physical Society