Quantum-nondemolition measurement of atomic momentum

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Abstract
We present a quantum-nondemolition measurement scheme in which one component of the momentum of an atom traversing a propagating light wave is measured by monitoring a quandrature phase of the field. We show how a selective version of the measurement may be used to reduce the transverse momentum spread of an atomic beam and we suggest how this scheme could be used to transversely cool a beam of atoms in the absence of spontaneous emission.