Scattering of atoms by a standing light wave

This paper analyzes the action of stimulated radiation pressure on the motion of neutral atoms. Primary attention is focused on an investigation of the features of these forces. A theoretical investigation of the interaction of an atom with an inhomogeneous field is given; this analysis includes a description of the atomic potential in such a field, the classical atomic scattering picture, quantum scattering effects, a description of the dependence of the force acting on the atom on the atom-field interaction time. An experiment to investigate stimulated radiation pressure in which a sodium atomic beam is scattered by a short (10 - 8 sec) laser pulse is described. Scattering diagrams are given for the beam atoms. The dependence of the scattering effect on the electrical field magnitude and resonance detuning is investigated experimentally