COLD AND DENSE CESIUM CLOUDS IN FAR-DETUNED DIPOLE TRAPS

We study the behavior of cesium atoms confined in far-detuned laser tr aps and submitted to blue Sisyphus cooling. First, in a single focused yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) beam, the atomic cloud has a rod shape with a 6-mu m transverse waist radius, a temperature of 2 mu K, and a transient density of 10(12) atoms/cm(3). For this sample, we have not detected any influence of photon multiple scattering on the atomic tem perature, in contrast to previous measurements in isotropic samples. S econd, the YAG laser is used to produce a 29-mu m period hexagonal opt ical lattice in which we directly observe the localization of the atom s by absorption imaging. Equilibrium densities on the order of 10(13) atoms/cm(3) are achieved in this structure.