Abstract

The temperature of a gas of sodium atoms confined in "optical molasses” was originally measured to be -2M0 μK ¹, In agreement with the theoretical prediction k_BT - Kr/2 ², where r = 2π × 10 MHz is the natural linewidth of the atomic transition used in cooling. More recently, Phillips, et al, ³ have measured temperatures well below the accepted Doppler cooling limit. These results have been confirmed by groups at Stanford and Paris ⁴

© 1988 Optical Society of America