Experimental Studies of Atoms in Confined Spaces (Physics)

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Cavity QED investigations are being continued into the properties of atoms confined to a very narrow space between two plane mirrors. In this situation energy levels and radiation rates are modified, sometimes dramatically, by the interaction between the atom and the metallic boundaries. It is now planned to measure spectroscopically the van der Waals shifts of the levels when atoms are placed at well defined locations within the channel and subsequently excited into a highly polarizable Rydberg state. The position is manipulated using the force produced by a standing wave of laser light; the atoms are trapped in the lowest vibrational quantum states of the optical potential wells centered on the nudes of the standing water.