Strong laser perturbation of an atom with fine or hyperfine structure is analyzed in the context of a level‐crossing experiment. The effect of sufficiently powerful, detuned, and/or spectrally broad light is to produce ‘‘hyperfine uncoupling,’’ which can be regarded as the optical Back–Goudsmit effect. It is easily understood in terms of an analogy between the level‐crossing effect and double‐slit experiment.
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© 1991 American Association of Physics Teachers.
1991
American Association of Physics Teachers
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