Entropy production in stopping atoms with laser light

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Abstract
The production of entropy is analyzed for the stopping of a beam of atoms by momentum transfer from a counterpropagating laser beam. Expressions are given for the rate of entropy production in the photon beam and in the atomic beam. In the latter case, the kinetic entropy rate is computed from the compression of the velocity distribution function of the atoms under the radiation pressure. A thermodynamic analysis yields large irreversibilities in this process, because the total rate of entropy production due to absorption and emission of the photons is several orders of magnitude larger than the rate of entropy reduction in the atomic beam.