Cavity-Enhanced Rayleigh Scattering

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a cavity-enhanced Rayleigh scattering technique that significantly amplifies scattering signals in a resonator, enabling sensitive, non-destructive detection of ultracold molecules without particle excitation.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method for enhancing Rayleigh scattering using a Fabry-Perot resonator, with quantitative explanation and potential applications in ultracold molecule detection.

Findings

Enhanced scattering into a single optical mode by a factor of several times

Detuning by hundreds of nanometers minimizes particle excitation

Potential for non-destructive detection of ultracold molecules

Abstract

We demonstrate Purcell-like enhancement of Rayleigh scattering into a single optical mode of a Fabry-Perot resonator for several thermal atomic and molecular gases. The light is detuned by more than an octave, in this case by hundreds of nanometers, from any optical transition, making particle excitation and spontaneous emission negligible. The enhancement of light scattering into the resonator is explained quantitatively as an interference effect of light waves emitted by a classical driven dipole oscillator. Applications of our method include the sensitive, non-destructive in-situ detection of ultracold molecules.