Radiation Trapping of Amplitude-Modulated Resonant Light

Gases of ultracold atoms are excellent systems for studying the fundamentals of resonant-light radiation trapping. This is becuase of the absent of significant Doppler shifts and the ability to tune the optical thickness of these gases. Resonant light trapped in these gases are confined for a variable amount of time depending on its effective location and path. We present a computational study of trapped near-resonant light when that light is modulated in amplitude. A ballistic photon model is used. The variation in excited-state atom population with time is linked to the distribution of radiation trapping times in a way that can be measured experimentally. We present an overview of results obtain from these simulations for a range of experimentally accessible parameters.