Hanle effect in coherent backscattering

We study the shape of the coherent backscattering (CBS) cone obtained when resonant light illuminates a thick cloud of laser-cooled rubidium atoms in presence of a homogenous magnetic field. We observe new magnetic field-dependent anisotropies in the CBS signal. We show that the observed behavior is due to the modification of the atomic radiation pattern by the magnetic field (Hanle effect in the excited state).Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Chemostratigraphy and stratigraphic distribution of keeled planktonic foraminifera in the Cenomanian of the North German Basin

The record of keeled planktonic foraminifera during the Cenomanian in boreal epicontinental basins is discontinuous. Micropalaeontologic and bulk carbonate carbon and oxygen isotope investigations from two cores in the centre of the North German Basin (NGB, Wunstorf, Lower Saxony) showed keeled praeglobotruncanids and rotaliporids to exclusively appear during three stratigraphic intervals of varying duration in the lower and middle Cenomanian. Our new highresolution carbon isotope (\u3b413Ccarb) composite curve shows that keeled foraminifera are absent during the Mid-Cenomanian Event (MCE) I. In the aftermath of MCE I, keeled planktonic foraminifera are present throughout. The data are correlated to previously published sequence stratigraphic models for the NGB. The presence/absence of keeled planktonic foraminifera in the epicontinental NGB is believed to be controlled by sea level and according environmental conditions in the epicontinental basin.In den Cenoman-zeitlichen Abfolgen der epikontinentalen Becken der borealen Kreide lassen sich gekielte planktonische Foraminiferen nicht durchgehend nachweisen. Neue Untersuchungen an zwei Bohrungen aus dem Norddeutschen Becken bei Wunstorf in Niedersachsen zeigen, dass sich die Vorkommen von gekielten Praeglobotruncanen und Rotaliporiden auf drei stratigraphisch klar abtrennbare Intervalle des Untercenomaniums und Mittelcenomaniums beschr\ue4nken. Die hier pr\ue4sentierte neue und hochaufl\uf6sende Kohlenstoffisotopenkurve (\u3b413Ccarb) belegt u ferdem ein Fehlen gekielter planktonischer Foraminiferen w\ue4hrend der positiven C-Isotopen-Exkursion des Mid-Cenomanian Event (MCE) I. Oberhalb des MCE I ist das Vorkommen gekielter planktonischer Foraminiferen kontinuierlich. Die Korrelation unserer Daten mit etablierten sequenzstratigraphischen Untergliederungen f\ufcr das Cenomanium Norddeutschlands weist auf einen Zusammenhang zwischen Meeresspiegelschwankungen und dem Vorkommen gekielter Formen hin. Offensichtlich erm\uf6glichten die Umweltbedingungen w\ue4hrend hoher Meeresspiegelst\ue4nde das Leben gekielter Formen in den Randbecken

Coherent backscattering of light by atoms in the saturated regime

We present the first calculation of coherent backscattering with inelastic scattering by saturated atoms. We consider the scattering of a quasi-monochromatic laser pulse by two distant atoms in free space. By restricting ourselves to scattering of two photons, we employ a perturbative approach, valid up to second order in the incident laser intensity. The backscattering enhancement factor is found to be smaller than two (after excluding single scattering), indicating a loss of coherence between the doubly scattered light emitted by both atoms. Since the undetected photon carries information about the path of the detected photon, the coherence loss can be explained by a which-path argument, in analogy with a double-slit experiment.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figure

Transport Mean Free Path for Magneto-Transverse Light Diffusion

We derive an expression for the transport mean free path $\ell^*_\perp$ associated with magneto-transverse light diffusion for a random collection of Faraday-active Mie scatterers. This expression relates the magneto-transverse diffusion in multiple scattering directly to the magneto-transverse scattering of a single scatterer.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, Latex, accepted for publication in Europhysics Letter

Coherent Backscattering of light in a magnetic field

This paper describes how coherent backscattering is altered by an external magnetic field. In the theory presented, magneto-optical effects occur inside Mie scatterers embedded in a non-magnetic medium. Unlike previous theories based on point-like scatterers, the decrease of coherent backscattering is obtained in leading order of the magnetic field using rigorous Mie theory. This decrease is strongly enhanced in the proximity of resonances, which cause the path length of the wave inside a scatterer to be increased. Also presented is a novel analysis of the shape of the backscattering cone in a magnetic field.Comment: 27 pages, 5 figures, Revtex, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Anisotropic multiple scattering in diffuse media

The multiple scattering of scalar waves in diffusive media is investigated by means of the radiative transfer equation. This approach amounts to a resummation of the ladder diagrams of the Born series; it does not rely on the diffusion approximation. Quantitative predictions are obtained, concerning various observables pertaining to optically thick slabs, such as the mean angle-resolved reflected and transmitted intensities, and the shape of the enhanced backscattering cone. Special emphasis is put on the dependence of these quantities on the anisotropy of the cross-section of the individual scatterers, and on the internal reflections due to the optical index mismatch at the boundaries of the sample. The regime of very anisotropic scattering, where the transport mean free path $\ell^*$ is much larger than the scattering mean free path $\ell$, is studied in full detail. For the first time the relevant Schwarzschild-Milne equation is solved exactly in the absence of internal reflections, and asymptotically in the regime of a large index mismatch. An unexpected outcome concerns the angular width of the enhanced backscattering cone, which is predicted to scale as $\Delta\theta\sim\lambda/\sqrt{\ell\ell^*}$, in contrast with the generally accepted $\lambda/\ell^*$ law, derived within the diffusion approximation.Comment: 53 pages TEX, including 2 tables. The 4 figures are sent at reques