Three-dimensional theory of the magneto-optical trap

The kinetics of atoms in a three-dimensional magneto-optical trap (MOT) is considered. A three-dimensional MOT model has been constructed for an atom with the optical transition J g = 0 → J e = 1 ( J g , e is the total angular momentum in the ground and excited states) in the semiclassical approximation by taking into account the influence of the relative phases of light fields on the kinetics of atoms. We show that the influence of the relative phases can be neglected only in the limit of low light field intensities. Generally, the choice of relative phases can have a strong influence on the kinetics of atoms in a MOT.