LASER COOLING IN PHASE FLUCTUATING LASER FIELD

The influence of laser linewidth \varGamma₁ on laser cooling of atoms was investigated theoretically by using a diffusing phase model. The final tempe rature which can be achieved by Doppler cooling or sub Doppler cooling in phase fluctuating laser field is presented. It was found that the natural linewidth \varGamma_n of the transition used for cooling the atoms is an important quan tity in evaluating the influence of \varGamma₁ under Doppler cooling mechanism, and the laser linewidth has little effect on the final temperature under sub-Doppler cooling mechanism because the laser detuning is very large in this case.