Laser cooling of atoms provides an ideal case study for the application of Lévy statistics in a privileged situation where the statistical model can be derived from first principles. This book demonstrates how the most efficient laser cooling techniques can be simply and quantitatively understood in terms of non-ergodic random processes dominated by a few rare events. Lévy statistics are now recognised as the proper tool for analysing many different problems for which standard Gaussian statistics are inadequate. Laser cooling provides a simple example of how Lévy statistics can yield analytic predictions that can be compared to other theoretical approaches and experimental results. The authors of this book are world leaders in the fields of laser cooling and light-atom interactions, and are renowned for their clear presentation. This book will therefore hold much interest for graduate students and researchers in the fields of atomic physics, quantum optics, and statistical physics.

‘… a beautifully concise yet complete introduction to the logic of this incredible technique … students of physics and other scientists interested in laser cooling will find this book hard to beat for insight and conceptual clarity.’

Mark Buchanan Source: New Scientist

‘… an excellent and readable account that will be of considerable use not only to people interested in laser cooling, but also to those wishing to see this important set of techniques make an impact in studies of ultracold matter … a significant addition to the literature in both laser cooling and statistical physics. It is rare to have such a lucid and convincing account of a technique that will be new to most scientists. It will be greatly welcomed both by workers in the field of ultracold atom physics and by those who want to see an important theoretical apparatus used in practice.’

Keith Burnett Source: Nature

‘… hard to beat for insight and conceptual clarity.’

Source: New Scientist