Mechanical effects of light on the Ξ-type three-level atom in a high-finesse optical cavity

A theoretical study is carried out for the modification and implication of the effect on the Xi-type three level atom in a high-finesse optical cavity driven by light field including spontaneous emission and the cavity decay. Analytic expressions for the dipole force, the friction force, the optical potentials and the friction coefficient are obtained. Then the numerical and graphical methods are used to investigate the friction coefficient with the controlling parameters. It is shown that the friction coefficient is strongly dependent on the controlling parameters. The cooling rate can increase by one order of magnitude more than that of a two-level atomic system. The reason can be given using the dressed states and the Sisyphus cooling mechanism, which would stimulate further experimental investigations.