Extra-heating mechanism in Doppler cooling experiments

We experimentally and theoretically investigate laser cooling of strontium-88 atoms in one-dimensional optical molasses. In our case, since the optical cooling dipole transition involves a J(g)=0 ground state, no Sisyphus-type mechanisms can occur. We are thus able to test quantitatively the predictions of the Doppler cooling theory. We have found, in agreement with other similar experiments, that the measured temperatures are systematically larger than the theoretical predictions. We quantitatively interpret this discrepancy by taking into consideration the extra-heating mechanism induced by transverse spatial intensity fluctuations of the optical molasses. Experimental data are in good agreement with Monte Carlo simulations of our theoretical model. We thus confirm the important role played by intensity fluctuations in the dynamics of cooling and for the steady-state regime. (C) 2005 Optical Society of America.