ABSTRACT
S o far we have seen how to address the internal degrees of freedom of an atom. Now we will see how to control the external degrees of freedom of
an atom-its position and momentum-both with and without light. When light is involved, the study is called “laser cooling and trapping.” This is one of the most active areas of research in AMO physics, especially after the observation of Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) in 1995 in a dilute vapor of Rb atoms.
