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Frequency-dependent polarizabilities of alkali atoms from ultraviolet through infrared spectral regions

POSTER

Abstract

We present results of first-principles calculations of the frequency-dependent polarizabilities of all alkali atoms for light in the wavelength range 300-1600~nm, with particular attention to wavelengths of common infrared lasers. We parameterize our results so that they can be extended accurately to arbitrary wavelengths above 800~nm. This work is motivated by recent experiments involving simultaneous optical trapping of two different alkali species. Our data can be used to predict the oscillation frequencies of optically-trapped atoms, and particularly the ratios of frequencies of different species held in the same trap. We identify wavelengths at which two different alkali atoms have the same oscillation frequency.

Authors

  • Bindiya Arora

  • Marianna Safronova

    University of Delaware, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716

  • Charles W. Clark

    National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, NIST