Abstract

Atom mirrors are of considerable interest in atomic optics. They can be used to focus atoms, to store them in a cavity,² and to redirect their paths in an interferometer. The most promising scheme used a blue detuned evanescent light field to reflect the atoms.^2,3 In all these applications it is important that the atoms do not spontaneously emit any photons due to the interaction with the evanescent wave. To suppress spontaneous emission the evanescent wave must be detuned far from the atomic resonance and its decay length must be short. To allow for this large detuning, a high intensity is necessary for maintaining a strong interaction with the atoms. Because of finite achievable laser power, schemes to enhance the field of the evanescent wave have yet to be developed.·⁴

© 1994 Optical Society of America