Diffraction of an Atomic Beam by Standing-Wave Radiation

Preliminary experimental results are reported for the deflection of Na atoms in an atomic beam by a transverse standing-wave laser field whose frequency is tuned between the two ground-state hyperfine components of the D₂ line. In contrast to the two experiments done previously, a splitting of the beam into two symmetric peaks whose separation increases with the electric-field is seen here. In addition, the data show evidence for atomic diffraction: a tendency for scattered atoms to acquire momentum in multiples of 2.