Radiation Pressure in a Rubidium Optical Lattice: An Atomic Analog to the Photorefractive Effect

Probe gain in a rubidium optical lattice is observed when the probe and lattice beams have identical frequencies. This effect is shown to arise from the radiation pressure that shifts the atomic density distribution with respect to the optical potential. This effect is compared with two-beam coupling in photorefractive materials. The experimental results obtained by changing the parameters of the optical lattice (intensity, detuning, periodicity) are in reasonable agreement with numerical simulations based on the model case of a 1/2→3/2 atomic transition.