Coherent backscattering of inelastic photons from atoms and their mirror images

TL;DR

This paper reports the observation of coherent backscattering from individual atoms and their mirror images, demonstrating robustness at low densities and with inelastic photons, advancing understanding of wave interference in atomic systems.

Contribution

It presents the first observation of coherent backscattering involving inelastic photons from atoms and their mirror images, highlighting robustness in dilute and saturated regimes.

Findings

Coherent backscattering observed from individual atoms and mirror images.

Inelastic photons contribute to the interference process.

Effect persists at low optical densities and under strong saturation.

Abstract

Coherent backscattering is a coherence effect in the propagation of waves through disordered media involving two or more scattering events. Here, we report on the observation of coherent backscattering from individual atoms and their mirror images. This system displays two important advantages: First, the effect can be observed at low optical densities, which allows to work in very dilute clouds or far from resonance. Second, due to the fact that the radiation of an atom interferes constructively with that of its own image, the phenomenon is much more robust to dephasing induced by strong saturation. In particular, the contribution of inelastically scattered photons to the interference process is demonstrated.