Abstract

We consider the laser-induced deflection of a free two-level atom. When Doppler detuning is neglected, we obtain a Fokker–Planck equation as a result of lifting a continuous degeneracy. The problem is offered as an example of how an elimination of microscopic, fast degrees of freedom can provide a microscopic statistical-mechanics description in classical phase space.

© 1984 Optical Society of America

Laser cooling of trapped ions: dynamics of the final stages

J. Javanainen, M. Lindberg, and S. Stenholm
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 1(1) 111-115 (1984)

Role of primary excitation statistics in the generation of antibunched and sub-Poisson light

M. C. Teich, B. E. A. Saleh, and J. Peřina
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 1(3) 366-389 (1984)

Mechanical effects of light in optical resonators

Peter Domokos and Helmut Ritsch
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 20(5) 1098-1130 (2003)

σ₊–σ₋ Optical molasses in a longitudinal magnetic field

M. Walhout, J. Dalibard, S. L. Rolston, and W. D. Phillips
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 9(11) 1997-2007 (1992)

Modeling noise by jump processes in strong laser–atom interactions

Bruce W. Shore
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 1(2) 176-188 (1984)