Preliminary experimental results are reported for the deflection of Na atoms in an atomic beam by a transverse standing-wave laser field whose frequency is tuned between the two ground-state hyperfine components of the $D_2$ line. In contrast to the two experiments done previously, a splitting of the beam into two symmetric peaks whose separation increases with the electric-field is seen here. In addition, the data show evidence for atomic diffraction: a tendency for scattered atoms to acquire momentum in multiples of $2\hslash k$.

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