Abstract
We compare the scattering of an atom by two different quantized standing-wave configurations. The first one is established in a cavity by a pair of fixed mirrors. The other consists of two independent counterpropagating traveling waves, as could occur in a ring configuration. We show that in the quantum regime (of small photon numbers) atoms are scattered differently by a true standing wave than by a superposition of two counterpropagating waves of equal amplitudes and opposite directions. This behavior is a manifestation of momentum conservation. In the case of traveling waves each wave depletes its momentum independently, whereas the standing wave that is fixed in space acts as a potentially infinite sink or source for momentum.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 903-910 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Journal of the Optical Society of America B: Optical Physics |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 1991 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics