Velocity diffusion and radiation trapping force in a one-dimensional expansion of cold atomic clouds in a magneto-optical trap

We experimentally investigate one-dimensional (1D) expansion of a cold cloud of cesium atoms in orthogonal 2D configuration of near resonant laser beams by temporally modulating a pair of counterpropagating trapping beams of a magneto-optical trap (MOT). The cloud is observed to undergo ballistic expansion followed by superballistic explosive growth due to the fluctuations of the 2D radiation force. A model based on the theory of Brownian motion is developed and a comparison of experiments with theory is shown to provide a direct measure of the velocity diffusion coefficient. We also observe sudden contraction of the cloud immediately after switching off the pair of trapping beams, which provides direct evidence for the existence of the radiation trapping force in a MOT