LASER COLLIMATION OF A CHROMIUM BEAM

We have studied laser collimation of a chromium atomic beam using a tr ansverse polarization gradient cooling scheme. We present detailed mea surements of the angular distribution of atoms on the beam axis, over a broad range of laser intensities and detunings, including those that produce significant excitation, and observe collimation angles as sma ll as 0.16+/-0.01 mrad (50% quantile). We compare our results with exi sting calculations based on assumptions of steady-state conditions and low excited-state population.