Abstract
A Very ingenious technique for laser cooling has enabled a group at the Ecole Normale Superieure (ENS) in Paris to reduce the spread in transverse momentum in an atomic beam to the equivalent of 2μK. By using a fundamentally new approach, Alain Aspect and colleagues (Phys. Rev. Lert. 61 826) have overcome the 'recoil limit'. Previously laser radiation has been used to produce, via absorption and re-emission, a frictional force on atoms to damp their motion. With such techniques the minimum energy for the atoms is approximately the recoil energy from emitting a photon; however, experimentally this limit had not been reached.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
