Atom recoil in collectively interacting dipoles using quantized vibrational states

TL;DR

This paper investigates atom recoil in dense atomic ensembles during light interactions, emphasizing the importance of quantized vibrational states and collective effects, especially in subradiant systems where recoil is significantly enhanced.

Contribution

It introduces a quantum vibrational state model for atomic motion in dense ensembles, extending beyond the impulse approximation to include collective dipole interactions and recoil effects.

Findings

Recoil effects are significantly enhanced in highly subradiant systems.

The model shows dependence of recoil on trap frequency and collective interactions.

Comparison with impulse model highlights the importance of quantum vibrational states.

Abstract

The recoil of atoms in dense ensembles during light matter interactions is studied using quantized vibrational states for the atomic motion. The recoil resulting from the forces due to the near-field collective dipole interactions and far-field laser and decay interactions are explored. The contributions to the recoil and the dependence on the trap frequency of the different terms of the Hamiltonian and Lindbladian are studied. These calculations are compared with previous results using the impulse model in the slow oscillation approximation. Calculations in highly subradiant systems show enhanced recoil indicating that recoil effects cannot be ignored in such cases.