Quantum theory of laser cooling: Statistical description of the process dynamics

Abstract

The setting time of the stationary distribution over translational degrees of freedom of two-level atoms in the field of a one-dimensional standing light wave is studied. The dependences of this time on the problem parameters such as the light wave intensity, frequency detuning, and atom mass are obtained. Calculations are performed on the basis of the quantum-mechanical equation for the atomic density matrix taking completely into account the recoil and spatial localization effects in an arbitrarily intense light field.