Slowing atoms withσ−polarized light

We have modeled and experimentally investigated the ‘‘Zeeman tuned slowing’’ of rubidium using ${\mathrm{\sigma }}^{\mathrm{-}}$ polarized laser light. Previous studies have all used ${\mathrm{\sigma }}^{+}$ light. We find that important details of the slowing process enable this new method to produce significantly slower and more intense atomic beams than for the ${\mathrm{\sigma }}^{+}$ case. An additional advantage: ${\mathrm{\sigma }}^{\mathrm{-}}$ slowing exhibits much weaker dependence on laser wavelength and intensity.