Abstract

Periodic dipole force potentials, commonly known as optical lattices,¹ are a powerful means of trapping neutral atoms in the regime of quantum center-of-mass motion. Dissipation from photon scattering can be virtually eliminated if the lattice is formed by light detuned a few thousand linewidths from atomic resonance, in which case the frequency of oscillation in the optical potential wells can be several orders of magnitude larger than the rate of vibrational excitation. The atoms are then good candidates for resolved-sideband Raman cooling.²

© 1998 Optical Society of America