Light-induced drift of Na using a frequency-modulated laser.

Abstract

The influence of the bandwidth of the radiation source on light-induced drift (LID) of Na is studied experimentally. Broadband radiation can be used to eliminate optical hyperfine pumping on the one hand, and to provide more efficient excitation due to an increased velocity coverage, on the other hand. These aspects are highlighted in two separate experiments. An increase of the drift velocity of Na by a factor of 4 compared to monochromatic excitation has been measured. A frequency-modulated (FM) ring dye laser is used as a broadband radiation source, having a bandwidth continuously variable from single mode to multimode with a bandwidth of 10 GHz. Contrary to passive multimode lasers, the spectrum of such a laser is well defined and stable. Various modulation frequencies are used to study the dependence of the drift velocity on the mode spacing of the multimode laser. Only small differences are found. All experimental results are compared with results of a four-level rate-equation model for LID of Na, in which the excited-state hyperfine structure of Na and the detailed shape of the FM spectrum are taken into account. Good agreement between the model and the experimental data is found. The model is also used to show that the FM spectrum yields almost the same values for the drift velocity as a rectangular spectrum, which so far has been considered optimal for LID.