Semiclassical theory of collision-induced loss from optical traps

A semiclassical analysis of the losses in an optical trap due to radiative collisions is presented. We use WKB theory to calculate the overlap between the ground- and excited-state wave functions. The results may be written as an absorption line shape and a survival on the excited state, with an excited-state velocity determined by energy conservation. In the region around resonance for the transition, the results reduce to those presented in previous analyses.