old_01_temp_molasses
The Temperature of Optical Molasses for Two Different Atomic Angular Momenta
C. Gerz,1 T. W. Hodapp,1 P. Jessen,1 K. M. Jones,1 W. D. Phillips,1 C. I. Westbrook,1 and K. Mølmer2
1. National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce,
Technology Administration – PHYS A167, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA
2. Max Planck Institut für Quantenoptik – Garching, Germany
We have measured the temperature of laser-cooled Rb atoms in optical molasses as a function of laser intensity and detuning. For both @’Rb and s7Rb, cooled on the F = 3 + F’ = 4 and F = 2 + F ‘ = 3 transitions, respectively, the temperatures are proportional to the ratio of laser power and detuning for a wide range of these parameters. We observe a small but significant difference between the two isotopes. We also show the results of three-dimensional semi-classical numerical calculations. Our results favor a model which includes atomic localization in optical standing waves.