BRIGHT THERMAL ATOMIC-BEAMS BY LASER COOLING - A 1400-FOLD GAIN IN-BEAM FLUX

Using a three-step transverse laser cooling scheme, a strongly divergi ng flow of metastable Ne(3s P-3(2)) atoms is compressed into a well-co llimated, small diameter atomic beam (e.g., 1.4 mrad HWHM divergence a t 3.6 mm beam diameter) with an unmodified axial velocity distribution centered at 580 m/s. The maximum increase in beam flux 1.04 m downstr eam of the source is a factor 1400; the maximum increase in phase spac e density, i.e., brightness, is a factor 160. The laser power used is only 140 mW. The scheme is extendable to a large variety of atomic spe cies and enables the application of bright atomic beams in many areas of physics.