A classical collective behavior is observed in the spatial distributions of a cloud of optically trapped neutral atoms. They include extended uniform-density ellipsoids, rings of atoms around a small central ball, and clumps of atoms orbiting a central core. The distributions depend sensitively on the number of atoms and the alignment of the laser beams. Abrupt bistable transitions between different distributions are seen. This system is studied in detail, and much of this behavior can be explained by the incorporation of long-range interactions between the atoms in the equation of equilibrium. It is shown how attenuation and multiple scattering of the incident photons lead to these interactions.
We describe experiments that show collective behavior in clouds of optically trapped neutral atoms. This collective behavior is demonstrated in a variety of observed spatial dis...
Laser cooled sodium atoms are trapped in an optical dipole force trap formed by the intersection of two 1.06 \ensuremath{\mu}m laser beams. Densities as high as $4\ifmmode\times...
We report the confinement and cooling of an optically dense cloud of neutral sodium atoms by radiation pressure. The trapping and damping forces were provided by three retrorefl...
We describe a new type of magnetic trap whose time-averaged, orbiting potential (TOP) supplies tight and harmonic confinement of atoms. The TOP trap allows for long storage time...
The new principle of radiation-pressure trapping of neutral dielectric particles by means of alternating light beams was demonstrated in an optical levitation experiment. Stable...
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