Bound and free atoms diagnosed by the recoil-induced resonances: One-dimensional optical lattice in a working magneto-optical trap

Abstract

We report on studies of simultaneous trapping of $^{85}\mathrm{Rb}$ atoms in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) and one-dimensional optical lattice. Using Raman pump-probe spectroscopy, we observe the coexistence of two atomic fractions: the first consists of free, unbound atoms trapped in a MOT and the second is localized in the micropotentials of the optical lattice. We show that recoil-induced resonances allow not only temperature determination of the atomic cloud but, together with vibrational resonances, can also be used for real-time, nondestructive studies of the lattice loading and of the dynamics of systems comprising unbound and bound atomic fractions.