Measurements of light shifts in cold atoms using Raman pump-probe spectroscopy

We have measured light shifts, also known as AC Stark shifts, as a function of laser intensity in cold Rubidium atoms by observing sub-natural linewidth gain and loss features in the transmission spectrum of a weak probe beam passing through the atomic sample. The observed energy-level shifts for atoms in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) are found to be consistently higher than that obtained in optical molasses (i.e., when the magnetic field gradient in the MOT is turned off). Using a simple model of a multilevel Rubidium atom interacting with pump and probe beams, we have calculated the theoretical light shift as a function of intensity. A comparison of these calculated values with the light shift data obtained for molasses reveals good agreement between experiment and theory. Further, our model elucidates the role of the Zeeman shifts arising from the magnetic field gradient in the observed probe transmission spectrum for the MOT. [GRAPHICS] A qualitative plot of the transmission spectrum of a probe, beam through a fictitious sample of cold J = 1 -> J' =2 atoms showing probe absorption at the sum of the pump frequency omega(pump) and delta', where delta' is the difference of the light shifts between the vertical bar J = 1,m(J) = 0 > and the vertical bar J = 1, m(J) = +/- 1 > ground state Zeeman sublevels. Probe gain is depicted at omega(pump) -delta'. See Fig. 3 and accompanying text for further explanation (C) 2010 by Astro Ltd. Published exclusively by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA