Determination of characteristics of a magneto-optical trap by the spectral width of coherent two-photon resonance

A technique is proposed for studying the thermal motion of ⁷Li atoms in a magneto-optical trap (MOT), based on a comparative analysis of coherent two-photon resonances at the 2S – 2P – nS (n = 38 – 120) transition using counter- and co-propagating laser beams with wavelengths of 671 and 350 nm (differential two-photon spectroscopy). A self-consistent theoretical model is constructed. The dependences of the broadening of two-photon resonance on the frequency detuning of cooling optical beams in the MOT are presented. A good agreement of theory with experimental results is obtained. The developed technique is nondestructive and can be used to determine the parameters of cold atoms in various traps, including the parameters of hydrogen and antihydrogen atoms in magnetic traps.