Description: The authors discuss the optical techniques used to control atomic motion utilizing beams of light to trap and move atoms, molecules, and even microscopic beads of glass within small regions of free space. This has proven to be a useful research tool for the study of atoms, chemical reactions, and the physical properties of macromolecules such as synthetic polymers and DNA. Metcalf and van der Straten also treat important new topics, such as atomic optics and Bose-Einstein condensation. 110 illus.
Review Quotes: From the reviews:
"A strong recommendation for any book in one's own field is to see it written the way you would have written it. This is certainly the case here. If you are a researcher or a teacher in laser cooling and trapping or a related field of atomic, molecular, and optical physics, then this is a must buy text for your bookshelf. And buy one for your students too, because your copy will inevitably disappear." The Physicist
..."For its intended use, which is to guide newcomers into the field of laser cooling and trapping, the book does a superb jobThe book is well placed to evolve with the field for many years to come." Physics Today