Observation of nonlinear optical recoil-induced resonances in a dark magneto-optical trap

Nonlinear optical recoil-induced resonances have been observed in a gas of cold rubidium atoms trapped in a dark magneto-optical trap. These resonances are used to measure the temperature and velocity distribution of the cold atoms. The velocity distribution of the atoms in the dark magneto-optical trap has an excessive amount of fast atoms as compared to the Maxwell distribution and to the distribution in a standard magneto-optical trap.