Radiative slowing and reduction of the energy spread of a beam of sodium atoms to 1.5 K in an oppositely directed laser beam
Andreev S. V., Balykin V. I., Letokhov V. S., Minogin V. G.
A reduction of the velocity spread of a beam of sodium atoms has been observed experimentally as the beam was slowed by an oppositely directed resonant laser beam. Over an effective slowing distance of 20 cm, the longitudinal velocity distribution of the atomic beam was contracted by a factor of 19; correspondingly, the relative-motion temperature of the atoms was lowered to 1.5 K.