Stimulated Slowing of Yb Atoms on the Narrow $^1S_0\rightarrow^3P_1$ Transition

Abstract

We analyzed bichromatic and polychromatic stimulated forces for laser cooling and trapping of Yb atoms using only the narrow $^1S_0\rightarrow^3P_1$ transition. Our model is based on numerical solutions of optical Bloch equations for two-level atoms driven by multiple time-dependent fields combined with Monte-Carlo simulations, which account for realistic experimental conditions such as atomic beam divergence, geometry, and Gaussian laser modes. Using 1 W of laser power, we predict a loading rate of $\approx 10^8$ atoms/s into a 556 nm MOT with a slowing force of $\approx 60F_{rad}$. We show that a square wave modulation can produce similar stimulated forces with almost twice the velocity range and improve the MOT loading rate of Yb atoms by up to 70%.