Abstract

This paper is devoted to the investigation of mechanical action of light on neutral atoms. In our experiments¹the properties of light pressure effect are investigated by the method of scattering of an atomic sodium beam, intersecting perpendicularly an unhomogeneous strong pulse field of two counterpropagating waves (incident $+\overrightarrow{\text{k}}$ and reflected from the mirror $-\overrightarrow{\text{k}}$) of the resonant laser radiation (see Fig. 1). The short duration (~10 ns) of laser pulse (shorter than the spontaneous decay time of the resonant D₂-line of sodium) gives us an opportunity to investigate the properties of the stimulated light pressure force, acting on atom in the unhomogeneous field without any spontaneous processes.

© 1994 IEEE