Michigan Technological University
Department of Physics

is pleased to announce a colloquium

with

Michael A. Waxman

Department of Chemistry
University of Wisconsin - Superior

Telephone: (715) 394-8261
Fax: (715) 394-8418
e-mail: mwaxman@facstaff.uwsuper.edu

Using Evanescent Waves to Initiate the Drift of a Gas

We will start with the description of surface light-induced drift (SLID) which occurs under velocity-selective laser excitation of the gas molecules as a result of their subsequent scattering by the surface of the cell or by the capillary walls. SLID provides a highly sensitive tool for studying gas-surface interactions and catalytic reactions, as well as controlling the spatial distributions of rarefied gas species. Contrary to an intuitive perception, SLID can be used to obtain the information on the angular dependence of the gas-surface scattering.

Besides the "traditional" SLID, we describe a novel mechanism of the drift of a gas in a cell occurring under velocity-selective excitation in the presence of an evanescent wave. The effect can be used for isotope-selective control of the spatial distributions of gases and purification, studying atomic scattering in the evanescent-wave field, and potentially in laser cooling, where it could help to increase the number of atoms in the trap in order to study novel effects (Bose-Einstein condensation etc.).

Thursday, October 23, 2003

4:00 p.m., Fisher 139

Refreshments will be served

MTU | Physics | Colloquium