Re: Testing atomism

lhaarsma@opal.tufts.edu
Mon, 20 Nov 1995 17:07:10 -0500 (EST)

> >>Glenn and everyone else, you'll be glad to know that "color" IS a
> meaningful concept for atoms. Sodium atoms, for example, are yellow. :-)
> (Shine a yellow light on them, they give back yellow photons; shine other
> color lights on them, they don't reflect any back (or at least, at much
> lower intensity.) That's "yellow" all right!)<<
>
> I am amazed, and stand happily corrected. Would you by any chance have a
> reference on that? I guess I have been out of physics too long.

I don't have any references on hand, and I'm not conveniently near any
physics library. The best I can tell you is that, over the last 7 years,
_Phys_Rev_Lett_ has had quite a few articles (and pretty pictures) on "ion
trapping" and "laser cooling/trapping of atoms."

Someone else want to offer a reference?

Loren