Construction of an Active Atomic Mirror via Quadrupole Transition

Abstract

In this work, an atomic mirror scheme that operates by both quadrupole interaction and evanescent light field is suggested and evaluated. This type of light mode is normally created via the total internal reflection process of laser light beam at the interface of a dielectric medium with a vacuum region. Under the quantum atomic rules in which quadrupole interaction is permissible, we show the optical quadrupole potential and the resulting reflection process of cesium atoms. The efficiency of the atomic reflection process can be enhanced by coating the dielectric surface with a thin metallic film. This increases the magnitude of the evanescent light field and simultaneously reduces the atom–surface attraction, which is considered one of the most prominent obstacles to the atomic reflection process. The performance of the atomic mirror action and some related factors controlling the enhancement in general are pointed out and discussed in this work.