# Optomechanical cooling and self-trapping of low field seeking point-like particles

## TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that low field seeking atoms can be cooled and trapped using nonlinear opto-mechanical potentials in high-Q optical resonators, extending existing methods for high field seekers.

## Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to cool and trap low field seeking particles by exploiting nonlinear atom-field dynamics in cavity systems with blue detuning.

## Key findings

- Achieved sub-Doppler cooling near zero field intensity.
- Identified optimal parameters for trapping and minimal saturation.
- Demonstrated effective cooling and trapping in low field seeking regime.

## Abstract

Atoms in spatially dependent light fields are attracted to local intensity maxima or minima depending on the sign of the frequency difference between the light and the atomic resonance. For light fields confined in open high-Q optical resonators the backaction of the atoms onto the light field generates dissipative dynamic opto-mechanical potentials, which can be used to cool and trap the atoms. Extending the conventional case of high field seekers to the regime of blue atom-field detuning, where the particles are low field seeking, we show that inherent nonlinear atom field dynamics still can be tailored to cool and trap near zero field intensity. Studying field intensity, particle localization and kinetic energy for cavity driving or pumping the particle from the side, we identify optimal parameter regimes, where sub-Doppler cooling comes with trapping and minimal atomic saturation.