Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1008.3224 · Physical Review A

Atomic fountain of laser-cooled Yb atoms for precision measurements

Kanhaiya Pandey, Ketan D. Rathod, Alok K. Singh, Vasant Natarajan A

Published Oct 25, 2010• 14 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We demonstrate launching of laser-cooled Yb atoms in a cold atomic fountain. Atoms in a collimated thermal beam are first cooled and captured in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) operating on the strongly allowed ${{}^{1}S}_{0}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{{}^{1}P}_{1}$ transition at 399 nm (blue line). They are then transferred to a MOT on the weakly allowed ${{}^{1}S}_{0}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{{}^{3}P}_{1}$ transition at 556 nm (green line). Cold atoms from the green MOT are launched against gravity at a velocity of around 2.5 m/s using a pair of green beams. We trap more than ${10}^{7}$ atoms in the blue MOT and transfer up to $70%$ into the green MOT. The temperature for the odd isotope $^{171}\mathrm{Yb}$ is $~1 \mathrm{mK}$ in the blue MOT, and reduces by a factor of 40 in the green MOT.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.82.043429

Related papers

CW fountain of laser-cooled Yb atoms

Ketan D. Rathod, Alok K. Singh, Vasant Natarajan A

We demonstrate launching of laser-cooled Yb atoms in a continuous atomic beam. The continuous cold beam has significant advantages over the more-common pulsed fountain, which was also demonstrated by us recently. The cold beam is formed in the following steps---(i) Atoms from a thermal beam are first Zeeman slowed to a small final velocity, (ii) the slowed atoms are captured in a two-dimensional magneto-optic trap (2D-MOT), and (iii) atoms are launched {\em continuously} in the vertical direction using two sets of moving-molasses beams, inclined at $\pm 15^\circ$ to the vertical. The cooling transition used is the strongly-allowed ${^1S}_0 \rightarrow {^1P}_1$ transition at 399 nm. We capture about $7 \times 10^6$ atoms in the 2D-MOT, and then launch them with a vertical velocity of 13 m/s at a longitudinal temperature of 125(6) mK.

•Mar 28, 2013•0 citations

Continuous beam of laser-cooled Yb atoms

Ketan D. Rathod, Alok K. Singh, Vasant Natarajan A

We demonstrate the launching of laser-cooled Yb atoms in a continuous atomic beam. The continuous cold beam has significant advantages over the more-common pulsed fountain, which was also demonstrated by us recently. The cold beam is formed in the following steps: i) atoms from a thermal beam are first Zeeman-slowed to a small final velocity; ii) the slowed atoms are captured in a two-dimensional magneto-optic trap (2D-MOT); and iii) atoms are launched continuously in the vertical direction using two sets of moving-molasses beams, inclined at ±15° to the vertical. The cooling transition used is the strongly allowed transition at 399 nm. We capture about 7 × 10 6 atoms in the 2D-MOT, and then launch them with a vertical velocity of 13 m/s at a longitudinal temperature of 125(6) mK.

arXiv:1303.7057•Europhysics Letters (EPL)•May 1, 2013•6 citations

Magneto-Optical Trapping of Ytterbium Atoms with a 398.9 nm Laser

Zhao Peng-Yi, Xiong Zhuan-Xian, Jie Liang +2 more

We report the realization of ytterbium magneto-optical trap (MOT) operating on the dipole-allowed 1 S 0 — 1 P 1 transition at 398.9 nm. The MOT is loaded by a slowed atomic beam produced by a Zeeman slower. All seven stable isotopes of Yb atoms could be trapped separately at different laser detuning values. Over 10 7 174 Yb atoms are collected in the MOT, whereas the atom number of fermionic isotope 171 Yb is roughly 2.3 × 10 6 due to a lower abundance. Without the Zeeman slower, the trapped atom numbers are one order of magnitude lower. Both the even and odd isotopes are recognized as excellent candidates of optical clock transition, so the cooling and trapping of ytterbium atoms by the blue MOT is an important step for building an optical clock.

Chinese Physics Letters•Oct 1, 2008•16 citations

Realization of Green MOT for Ytterbium Atoms

Zhao Peng-Yii, Xiong Zhuan-Xian, Yun Long +2 more

We report the experimental realization of a magneto-optical trap (MOT) of 174 Yb atoms operating on the 1 So− 3 P 1 intercombination transition at 555.8 nm. The green MOT is loaded by a Zeeman-slowed atomic beam. In order to increase the capture velocity of the MOT, we use the trapping laser beams consisting of five discrete frequency components obtained by modulating the laser light through an electro-optic modulator. The trapped atomic number of the 174 Yb isotope is about 6.2 × 10 5 , and the temperature of the cold atomic cloud is estimated to be about 100 μK. The success of the green MOT is an important step towards the goal of an ytterbium optical clock.

Chinese Physics Letters•Aug 1, 2009•12 citations

Investigation of sub-Doppler cooling in an ytterbium magneto-optical trap

Reina H. Maruyama, R. H. Wynar, Michael V. Romalis +4 more

We report experimental evidence of Sisyphus cooling in atoms with a ${}^{1}{S}_{0}$ ground state. Since $J=0,$ any cooling mechanism which requires multiple sublevels can only occur in the isotopes which have nuclear spin $I\ensuremath{\ne}0.$ Ytterbium has seven stable isotopes and offers a unique system in which we can study cooling on $F=\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{0}1$ ${(}^{168,170,172,174,176}\mathrm{Yb}),$ $F=1/\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{2}3/2$ ${(}^{171}\mathrm{Yb}),$ and $F=5/\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{2}7/2$ ${(}^{173}\mathrm{Yb}),$ depending on the selection of isotope. We have trapped each of the seven stable isotopes of ytterbium in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) using the strong ${}^{1}{S}_{0}{\ensuremath{-}}^{1}{P}_{1}$ transition, and transferred them into a second MOT which uses the much narrower ${}^{1}{S}_{0}{\ensuremath{-}}^{3}{P}_{1}$ intercombination transition. We have measured the temperature of isotopes ${}^{171}\mathrm{Yb},$ ${}^{173}\mathrm{Yb},$ and ${}^{174}\mathrm{Yb}$ in the ${}^{1}{S}_{0}{\ensuremath{-}}^{3}{P}_{1}$ MOT, as a function of the intensity and detuning of the trapping laser. The temperature of ${}^{174}\mathrm{Yb}$ was found to increase more rapidly with intensity than predicted by Doppler cooling theory, in agreement with earlier work on alkaline-earth atoms. In the odd isotopes the temperature was found to decrease with increasing angular momentum, as observed in earlier experiments and three-dimensional simulations.

Physical Review A•Jul 25, 2003•75 citations

Loading of a large Yb MOT on the 1 S 0 → 1 P 1 transition

Hector Letellier, Álvaro Mitchell Galvão de Melo, A. Dorne +1 more

We present an experimental setup to laser cool and trap a large number of ytterbium atoms. Our design uses an oven with an array of micro-tubes for efficient collimation of the atomic beam, and we implement a magneto-optical trap of 174Yb on the 1S0 → 1P1 transition at 399 nm. Despite the absence of a Zeeman slower, we obtain a loading of 4 × 109 at./s. We trap up to N = 109 at., where light-assisted collisions become the dominant loss mechanism. We precisely characterize our atomic beam, the loading rate of the magneto-optical trap, and several loss mechanisms relevant for trapping a large number of atoms.

arXiv:2308.00387•Review of Scientific Instruments•Dec 1, 2023•12 citations
We demonstrate launching of laser-cooled Yb atoms in a cold atomic fountain. Atoms in a collimated thermal beam are first cooled and captured in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) operating on the strongly allowed 1S0\ensuremath→1P1{{}^{1}S}_{0}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{{}^{1}P}_{1}1S0​\ensuremath→1P1​ transition at 399 nm (blue line). They are then transferred to a MOT on the weakly allowed 1S0\ensuremath→3P1{{}^{1}S}_{0}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{{}^{3}P}_{1}1S0​\ensuremath→3P1​ transition at 556 nm (green line). Cold atoms from the green MOT are launched against gravity at a velocity of around 2.5 m/s using a pair of green beams. We trap more than 107{10}^{7}107 atoms in the blue MOT and transfer up to 7070%70 into the green MOT. The temperature for the odd isotope 171Yb^{171}\mathrm{Yb}171Yb is  1mK~1 \mathrm{mK} 1mK in the blue MOT, and reduces by a factor of 40 in the green MOT.
We demonstrate launching of laser-cooled Yb atoms in a continuous atomic beam. The continuous cold beam has significant advantages over the more-common pulsed fountain, which was also demonstrated by us recently. The cold beam is formed in the following steps---(i) Atoms from a thermal beam are first Zeeman slowed to a small final velocity, (ii) the slowed atoms are captured in a two-dimensional magneto-optic trap (2D-MOT), and (iii) atoms are launched {\em continuously} in the vertical direction using two sets of moving-molasses beams, inclined at ±15∘\pm 15^\circ±15∘ to the vertical. The cooling transition used is the strongly-allowed 1S0→1P1{^1S}_0 \rightarrow {^1P}_11S0​→1P1​ transition at 399 nm. We capture about 7×1067 \times 10^67×106 atoms in the 2D-MOT, and then launch them with a vertical velocity of 13 m/s at a longitudinal temperature of 125(6) mK.
We demonstrate the launching of laser-cooled Yb atoms in a continuous atomic beam. The continuous cold beam has significant advantages over the more-common pulsed fountain, which was also demonstrated by us recently. The cold beam is formed in the following steps: i) atoms from a thermal beam are first Zeeman-slowed to a small final velocity; ii) the slowed atoms are captured in a two-dimensional magneto-optic trap (2D-MOT); and iii) atoms are launched continuously in the vertical direction using two sets of moving-molasses beams, inclined at ±15° to the vertical. The cooling transition used is the strongly allowed transition at 399 nm. We capture about 7 × 10 6 atoms in the 2D-MOT, and then launch them with a vertical velocity of 13 m/s at a longitudinal temperature of 125(6) mK.
We report the realization of ytterbium magneto-optical trap (MOT) operating on the dipole-allowed 1 S 0 — 1 P 1 transition at 398.9 nm. The MOT is loaded by a slowed atomic beam produced by a Zeeman slower. All seven stable isotopes of Yb atoms could be trapped separately at different laser detuning values. Over 10 7 174 Yb atoms are collected in the MOT, whereas the atom number of fermionic isotope 171 Yb is roughly 2.3 × 10 6 due to a lower abundance. Without the Zeeman slower, the trapped atom numbers are one order of magnitude lower. Both the even and odd isotopes are recognized as excellent candidates of optical clock transition, so the cooling and trapping of ytterbium atoms by the blue MOT is an important step for building an optical clock.
We report the experimental realization of a magneto-optical trap (MOT) of 174 Yb atoms operating on the 1 So− 3 P 1 intercombination transition at 555.8 nm. The green MOT is loaded by a Zeeman-slowed atomic beam. In order to increase the capture velocity of the MOT, we use the trapping laser beams consisting of five discrete frequency components obtained by modulating the laser light through an electro-optic modulator. The trapped atomic number of the 174 Yb isotope is about 6.2 × 10 5 , and the temperature of the cold atomic cloud is estimated to be about 100 μK. The success of the green MOT is an important step towards the goal of an ytterbium optical clock.
We report experimental evidence of Sisyphus cooling in atoms with a 1S0{}^{1}{S}_{0}1S0​ ground state. Since J=0,J=0,J=0, any cooling mechanism which requires multiple sublevels can only occur in the isotopes which have nuclear spin $I\ensuremath{\ne}0.$ Ytterbium has seven stable isotopes and offers a unique system in which we can study cooling on $F=\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{0}1$ (168,170,172,174,176Yb),{(}^{168,170,172,174,176}\mathrm{Yb}),(168,170,172,174,176Yb), $F=1/\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{2}3/2$ (171Yb),{(}^{171}\mathrm{Yb}),(171Yb), and $F=5/\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{2}7/2$ (173Yb),{(}^{173}\mathrm{Yb}),(173Yb), depending on the selection of isotope. We have trapped each of the seven stable isotopes of ytterbium in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) using the strong ${}^{1}{S}_{0}{\ensuremath{-}}^{1}{P}_{1}$ transition, and transferred them into a second MOT which uses the much narrower ${}^{1}{S}_{0}{\ensuremath{-}}^{3}{P}_{1}$ intercombination transition. We have measured the temperature of isotopes 171Yb,{}^{171}\mathrm{Yb},171Yb, 173Yb,{}^{173}\mathrm{Yb},173Yb, and 174Yb{}^{174}\mathrm{Yb}174Yb in the ${}^{1}{S}_{0}{\ensuremath{-}}^{3}{P}_{1}$ MOT, as a function of the intensity and detuning of the trapping laser. The temperature of 174Yb{}^{174}\mathrm{Yb}174Yb was found to increase more rapidly with intensity than predicted by Doppler cooling theory, in agreement with earlier work on alkaline-earth atoms. In the odd isotopes the temperature was found to decrease with increasing angular momentum, as observed in earlier experiments and three-dimensional simulations.
We present an experimental setup to laser cool and trap a large number of ytterbium atoms. Our design uses an oven with an array of micro-tubes for efficient collimation of the atomic beam, and we implement a magneto-optical trap of 174Yb on the 1S0 → 1P1 transition at 399 nm. Despite the absence of a Zeeman slower, we obtain a loading of 4 × 109 at./s. We trap up to N = 109 at., where light-assisted collisions become the dominant loss mechanism. We precisely characterize our atomic beam, the loading rate of the magneto-optical trap, and several loss mechanisms relevant for trapping a large number of atoms.