Acceleration of a fast atomic beam by laser radiation pressure

Abstract

We have observed the acceleration of 100-keV Ne atoms by the radiation pressure of a laser field, tuned into resonance with the fast-moving atoms. The acceleration was 0.12 V/μsec in agreement with an analytic expression of the light-pressure-induced modification of the atomic phase-space distribution function. Representing the first stage of laser cooling of a fast beam, the observed acceleration shows the potential for laser cooling in heavy-ion storage rings.