Spectral anomalies of light-induced drift of rubidium and lithium under monochromatic excitation

Abstract

The anomalous light-induced drift (LID) of atoms caused by a velocity dependence of collision frequencies has been investigated in the frame of the theory without adjustable parameters. Our results open the possibility of experimental probing of models of interatomic potentials. The extension of the strong-collision model to the case of velocity-dependent collision rates, is the basis of our approach. The obtained model describes the anomalous LID both in the case of arbitrary mass ratio of absorbing- and buffer-gas particles and in the case of arbitrary ratio of the homogeneous and Doppler widths. In particular, we applied our model to describe the anomalous LID in alkali - noble-gas mixtures (Rb - Kr and Li - Ne systems). Qualitatively another anomaly of the LID velocity was also found in the low-pressure region. As pointed out, the optical pumping effect and the hyperfine structure of the ground electronic state, but not the velocity dependence of the collision rates, are the sources of this new anomaly.