Abstract
We study Doppler cooling of atoms using a frequency comb and develop a theory to quantitatively describe the process by investigating the interaction of two-level atoms with two counterpropagating pulse trains. We derive the radiative force on atoms and show that each comb mode effectively acts as a cooling laser, thereby indicating that simultaneous laser cooling in multiple cooling channels can be achieved using a single-frequency comb source. Possible experimental applications involving alkali-metal atoms are illustrated.
- Received 12 April 2012
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.85.063412
©2012 American Physical Society