Coherent backscattering of light by resonant atomic dipole transitions

摘要

We study coherent backscattering (CBS) of resonant light by cold atomic vapors, both experimentally and theoretically. The theory predicts a drastic reduction of the CBS enhancement factor when a degenerate internal structure is present in the ground state. We test this prediction in experiments using different atoms and various transitions. (C) 2004 Optical Society of America.