Nathanael A. Fortune edited When_we_measure_the_transmission__.tex  over 8 years ago

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When we measure the transmission of the probe beam with a photodiode, we get our negative Gaussian absorption curve, curve,\textit{  but we also  get a small Lorentzian peak at the rest frequency of the transition transition}  because the probe beam is not being absorbed by the atoms at that frequency, since the pump beam has already excited all of the atoms in the zero velocity class. The Lorentzian peak can actually appear as multiple small Lorentzians, due to hyperfine structure. With the transitions we measure, we expect to see three hyperfine peaks. However, due to crossovers, we actually see six. Crossover peaks appear midway between each of the energy levels in the atom and can be even stronger than the peaks due to hyperfine structure (Melissinos 244-245).