Laser cooling in a Fabry-Perot resonator

We develop a first-principles description of the mechanical effects of light on a single two-level atom in a Fabry-Perot interferometer. Our analysis is based on the plane-wave and semiclassical approximations, but within this context it yields general equations that include propagation effects and allow arbitrary parameters of the resonator. We then focus on the conditions under which the uniform field limit holds and derive an explicit expression for the cavity-induced force on the atom in the low saturation limit. We also provide a physical explanation of the role played by the resonator in slowing down or accelerating the atoms.