Hanle effect in coherent backscattering

Phys Rev Lett. 2002 Oct 14;89(16):163901. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.89.163901. Epub 2002 Sep 26.

Abstract

We study the shape of the coherent-backscattering (CBS) cone obtained when resonant light illuminates a thick cloud of laser-cooled rubidium atoms in the 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).