ANISOTROPIC MAGNETOOPTICAL TRAPPING OF ATOMS - CAPTURE EFFICIENCY ANDINDUCED DRIFT VELOCITIES

An anisotropic magneto-optical trap is studied as the potential source of a continuous beam of laser-cooled atoms. Capture efficiency and cl oud temperature are measured experimentally and found to be lower than in an isotropic situation with the same cooling parameters. Intensity imbalance and static magnetic field are investigated as possible extr action mechanisms. While only small drift velocities are induced by me ans of intensity imbalance, velocities of tens of cm s(-1) are observe d with a static magnetic field; the shape of the observed two-peaked v elocity distributions is related to the average depth of local light-s hift-induced potential wells.