10.1142/9789812813787_0036
https://zenodo.org/records/1233883
oai:zenodo.org:1233883
Walker, Thad
Thad
Walker
Sesko, David
David
Sesko
Wieman, Carl
Carl
Wieman
Collective behavior of optically trapped neutral atoms
Zenodo
1990
1990-01-22
Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal
We describe experiments that show collective behavior in clouds of optically trapped neutral atoms. This collective behavior is demonstrated in a variety of observed spatial distributions with abrupt bistable transitions between them. These distributions include stable rings of atoms around a small core and clumps of atoms rotating about the core. The size of the cloud grows rapidly as more atoms are loaded into it, implying a strong long-range repulsive force between the atoms. We show that a force arising from radiation trapping can explain much of this behavior.