DEFLECTION AND SPLITTING OF ATOMIC-BEAMS WITH COUNTERPROPAGATING, SHORT, CHIRPED LASER-PULSES

The application of counterpropagating, short, chirped laser pulses for the deflection and splitting of an atomic beam is investigated. A sim ple model is proposed to describe the case in which the pulses induce population transfer in the adiabatic-passage regime and in which the e ffects of spontaneous emission are negligible during the action of a s ingle laser pulse. Spontaneous emission between the pulses is not negl ected, however, and it is shown that it has a significant effect on th e evolution of the average transversal velocity of the atoms, as well as the dispersion of the transversal velocity. (C) 1998 Optical Societ y of America.