old_04_quant_mot
Observation of Quantized Motion of Rb Atoms in an Optical Field
P. S. Jessen, C. Gerz, P. D. Lett, W. D. Phillips, S. L. Rolston, R. J. C. Spreeuw and C. I. Westbrook
National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce,
Technology Administration, PHYS A167, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899
We observe transitions of laser-cooled Rb between vibrational levels in subwavelength-sized optical potential wells, using high-resolution spectroscopy of resonance fluorescence. We measure the spacing of the levels and the population distribution, and find the atoms to be localized to 1/15 of the optical wave-length. We find up to 60% of the population of trapped atoms in the vibrational ground state. The dependence of the spectrum on the parameters of the optical field provides detailed information about the dynamics of laser-cooled atoms.