Radiation 'damping' in atomic photonic crystals

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that in multilayer atomic photonic crystals, the radiation damping effect, usually tiny, is significantly amplified—by three orders of magnitude—making it observable at low velocities, which has implications for light-matter interaction studies.

Contribution

The study reveals a substantial amplification of velocity-dependent radiation damping in multilayer atomic systems with narrow photonic band gaps, advancing understanding of light-matter interactions.

Findings

Amplification of radiation damping effect by three orders of magnitude.

Significant effect observed at velocities of a few m/s.

Potential for measurable velocity-dependent forces in atomic photonic structures.

Abstract

The force exerted on a material by an incident beam of light is dependent upon the material's velocity in the laboratory frame of reference. This velocity dependence is known to be diffcult to measure, as it is proportional to the incident optical power multiplied by the ratio of the material velocity to the speed of light. Here we show that this typically tiny effect is greatly amplified in multilayer systems composed of resonantly absorbing atoms (e.g. optically trapped 87Rb), which may exhibit ultra-narrow photonic band gaps. The amplification of the effect is shown to be three orders of magnitude greater than previous estimates for conventional photonic-band-gap materials, and significant for material velocities of a few ms/s.