Loss from magneto-optical traps in strong laser fields

We present results for the behavior of loss rates in magneto-optical traps in strong fields. They show that the trap loss rate does not saturate along with the excitation process. On the contrary, it increases with the laser-field intensity inside the region of saturation of the laser transition. We also show that an alternative method, the adiabatic formulation of the optical Bloch equations, can be used to predict the behavior of trap loss over a wide range of temperatures and field intensities.