Atomic density and temperature distributions in magneto-optical traps

A theoretical investigation into density, pressure, and temperature distrib utions in magneto-optical traps is presented. After a brief overview of the forces that arise from reradiation and absorption, a condition that the ab sorptive force be conservative is used to show that, if the temperature is uniform throughout the trap, any. density solutions to the force equations will not be physical. Further, consistent density solutions are unlikely to exist at all. In contrast, with a varying temperature reasonable solutions are demonstrated, with some restrictions. Doppler forces involved in ring- shaped trap structures are used to calculate orbit radii in racetrack geome try traps, and corrections to the present discrepancy between theoretical a nd experimental studies are discussed in the context of reradiation and dif fusion. (C) 2000 Optical Society of America [S0740-3224(00)01104-8]. OCIS c odes: 020.7010, 140.3320.