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:2401.11233 · The Journal of Chemical Physics

A versatile apparatus for simultaneous trapping of multiple species of ultracold atoms and ions to enable studies of low energy collisions and cold chemistry

Bubai Rahaman, Satyabrata Baidya, Sourav Dutta

Published Feb 13, 2024• 1 citation
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We describe an apparatus where many species of ultracold atoms can be simultaneously trapped and overlapped with many species of ions in a Paul trap. Several design innovations are made to increase the versatility of the apparatus while keeping the size and cost reasonable. We demonstrate the operation of a three-dimensional (3D) magneto-optical trap (MOT) of 7Li using a single external cavity diode laser. The 7Li MOT is loaded from an atomic beam, with atoms slowed using a Zeeman slower designed to work simultaneously for Li and Sr. The operation of a 3D MOT of 133Cs, loaded from a 2D MOT, is demonstrated, and provisions for MOTs of Rb and K in the same vacuum manifold exist. We demonstrate the trapping of 7Li+ and 133Cs+ at different settings of the Paul trap and their detection using an integrated time-of-flight mass spectrometer. We present results on low energy neutral-neutral collisions (133Cs-133Cs, 7Li-7Li, and 133Cs-7Li collisions) and charge-neutral collisions (133Cs+-133Cs and 7Li+-7Li collisions). We show evidence of sympathetic cooling of 7Li+ (133Cs+) due to collisions with the ultracold 7Li (133Cs).

DOI
10.1063/5.0193481

Related papers

A Rb–Cs dual-species magneto-optical trap

Shi-Yao Shao, Qing Li, Lihua Zhang +13 more

Abstract We describe a three-dimensional (3D) magneto-optical trap (MOT) capable of simultaneously capturing 85Rb and 133Cs atoms. Unlike conventional setups, our system utilizes two separate laser systems that are combined before entering the vacuum chamber, enabling the simultaneous trapping of two different atomic species. We trapped 85Rb and 133Cs atoms using relatively low total power: 8 mW cooling and 4 mW repump for 85Rb, and 7.5 mW cooling and 1.5 mW repump for 133Cs. The number of trapped atoms was 1.6 × 108 for 85Rb and 1.4 × 108 for 133Cs. The optical depths were 3.71 for 85Rb and 3.45 for 133Cs. The temperature of trapped atoms was ∼200 μK for 85Rb and ∼200 μK for 133Cs. Our 3D MOT setup allows full horizontal optical access to the trapped atomic ensembles without spatial interference from the trapping or repump laser beams. Our vacuum system is also quite simple, avoiding much of the complexity typically encountered in similar dual-species systems. However, the red detuning of the cooling laser used for atomic trapping in our system is relatively small, leaving room for further optimization. This system offers a versatile platform for exploring complex phenomena in ultracold atom physics, such as Rydberg molecule formation and interspecies interactions.

Chinese Physics B•Mar 18, 2025•1 citation

A Rb-Cs dual-species magneto-optical trap

Shi-Yao Shao, Qing Li, Lihua Zhang +13 more

We describe a three-dimensional (3D) magneto-optical trap (MOT) capable of simultaneously capturing 85Rb and 133Cs atoms. Unlike conventional setups, our system utilizes two separate laser systems that are combined before entering the vacuum chamber, enabling the simultaneous trapping of two different atomic species. Additionally, in our 3D MOT configuration, two (of three) pairs of laser beams are not orthogonal to the chamber surfaces but are aligned at a 45° angle. With a total trapping laser power of 8 mW and repump laser power of 4 mW for Rb atoms, and a total trapping laser power of 7.5 mW and repump laser power of 1.5 mW for Cs atoms, we achieve optical depths (OD) of 3.71 for Rb and 3.45 for Cs, demonstrating efficient trapping for both species. Our 3D MOT setup allows full horizontal optical access to the trapped atomic ensembles without spatial interference from the trapping or repump laser beams. Moreover, the red detuning for trapping both atomic species is smaller than in traditional configurations. This system offers a versatile platform for exploring complex phenomena in ultracold atom physics, such as Rydberg molecule formation and interspecies interactions.

arXiv:2412.11411•Dec 16, 2024•0 citations

Experimental advances toward a compact dual-species laser cooling apparatus

Keith Ladouceur

This thesis describes the advances made towards a dual-species magneto-optical trap (MOT) of Li and Rb for use in photoassociation spectroscopy, Feshbach resonance studies, and, as long-term aspirations, the formation of ultracold heteronuclear polar molecules. The initial discussion will focus on a brief theoretical overview of laser cooling and trapping and the production of ultracold molecules from a cold atom source. Subsequently, details of the experimental system, including those pertaining to the required laser light, the vacuum chamber, and the computer control system will be presented. Finally, preliminary optimization and characterization measurements showing the performance of a single species Li MOT are introduced. These measurements demonstrated the loading of over 8 x 107 Li atoms directly into a MOT without the need for a Zeeman slower.

•Jan 1, 2008•1 citation

A dual species MOT of Yb and Cs

Kirsteen Louisa Butler

This thesis describes the design and construction of a new apparatus to laser cool and trap Yb and Cs atoms with the ultimate aim of creating ultracold molecules with both an electric and magnetic dipole moment, which are of great interest in a range of fields. The Yb and Cs atomic beams are first generated and overlapped in a dual species oven. A collimated atomic beam of the two species is formed by the use of an array of capillary tubes at the exit of the oven. At this stage the atoms have an average velocity of 311m/s or 264m/s for Yb and Cs respectively, therefore it is necessary to reduce their velocity before they can be trapped in a magneto-optical trap (MOT). This initial stage of slowing is carried out with a Zeeman slower. Due to their atomic properties, Yb and Cs atoms are unable to be slowed by the same magnetic field profile therefore they cannot be loaded simultaneously, however, the Zeeman slower can load the atoms into a MOT sequentially. Once their velocities have been reduced to approximately 48m/s (10m/s) the Cs (Yb) atoms can be captured in a MOT. The laser systems for cooling Yb and Cs are also presented. Laser cooling of Cs is achieved on the D2 transition at 852.3nm whereas Yb can either be cooled on the 1S0 to 1P1 or 1S0 to 3P1 transitions at 398.9nm or 555.8nm respectively. Due to the relative linewidths of these transitions (2π×28.0MHz and 2π × 182.2kHz), Zeeman slowing is performed for Yb on the 1S0 to 1P1 transition and magneto-optical trapping on the 1S0 to 3P1 transition. A Cs MOT with 1 × 10^8 atoms and an Yb MOT with the order of 10^8 atoms on the narrow 556nm transition are demonstrated. The mixture can be sequentially loaded into a dual species MOT, paving the way for many further experiments exploring this novel mixture.

•Jan 1, 2014•1 citation

Interspecies collision-induced losses in a dual species7Li–85Rb magneto-optical trap

Sourav Dutta, Adeel Altaf, John Lorenz +2 more

In this article, we report the measurement of collision-induced loss rate coefficients β_{Li,Rb} and β_{Rb,Li}, and also discuss means to significantly suppress such collision induced losses. We first describe our dual-species magneto-optical trap (MOT) that allows us to simultaneously trap > 5x10^8 7Li atoms loaded from a Zeeman slower and > 2x10^8 85Rb atoms loaded from a dispenser. We observe strong interspecies collision-induced losses in the MOTs which dramatically reduce the maximum atom number achievable in the MOTs. We measure the trap loss rate coefficients β_{Li,Rb} and β_{Rb,Li}, and, from a study of their dependence on the MOT parameters, determine the cause for the losses observed. Our results provide valuable insights into ultracold collisions between 7Li and 85Rb, guide our efforts to suppress collision induced losses, and also pave the way for the production of ultracold 7Li85Rb molecules.

arXiv:1306.5196•Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics•May 1, 2014•19 citations

An apparatus for immersing trapped ions into an ultracold gas of neutral atoms

Stefan Schmid, Arne Härter, Albert Frisch +2 more

We describe a hybrid vacuum system in which a single ion or a well-defined small number of trapped ions (in our case Ba(+) or Rb(+)) can be immersed into a cloud of ultracold neutral atoms (in our case Rb). This apparatus allows for the study of collisions and interactions between atoms and ions in the ultracold regime. Our setup is a combination of a Bose-Einstein condensation apparatus and a linear Paul trap. The main design feature of the apparatus is to first separate the production locations for the ion and the ultracold atoms and then to bring the two species together. This scheme has advantages in terms of stability and available access to the region where the atom-ion collision experiments are carried out. The ion and the atoms are brought together using a moving one-dimensional optical lattice transport which vertically lifts the atomic sample over a distance of 30 cm from its production chamber into the center of the Paul trap in another chamber. We present techniques to detect and control the relative position between the ion and the atom cloud.

arXiv:1202.2726•Review of Scientific Instruments•May 1, 2012•41 citations
We describe an apparatus where many species of ultracold atoms can be simultaneously trapped and overlapped with many species of ions in a Paul trap. Several design innovations are made to increase the versatility of the apparatus while keeping the size and cost reasonable. We demonstrate the operation of a three-dimensional (3D) magneto-optical trap (MOT) of 7Li using a single external cavity diode laser. The 7Li MOT is loaded from an atomic beam, with atoms slowed using a Zeeman slower designed to work simultaneously for Li and Sr. The operation of a 3D MOT of 133Cs, loaded from a 2D MOT, is demonstrated, and provisions for MOTs of Rb and K in the same vacuum manifold exist. We demonstrate the trapping of 7Li+ and 133Cs+ at different settings of the Paul trap and their detection using an integrated time-of-flight mass spectrometer. We present results on low energy neutral-neutral collisions (133Cs-133Cs, 7Li-7Li, and 133Cs-7Li collisions) and charge-neutral collisions (133Cs+-133Cs and 7Li+-7Li collisions). We show evidence of sympathetic cooling of 7Li+ (133Cs+) due to collisions with the ultracold 7Li (133Cs).
Abstract We describe a three-dimensional (3D) magneto-optical trap (MOT) capable of simultaneously capturing 85Rb and 133Cs atoms. Unlike conventional setups, our system utilizes two separate laser systems that are combined before entering the vacuum chamber, enabling the simultaneous trapping of two different atomic species. We trapped 85Rb and 133Cs atoms using relatively low total power: 8 mW cooling and 4 mW repump for 85Rb, and 7.5 mW cooling and 1.5 mW repump for 133Cs. The number of trapped atoms was 1.6 × 108 for 85Rb and 1.4 × 108 for 133Cs. The optical depths were 3.71 for 85Rb and 3.45 for 133Cs. The temperature of trapped atoms was ∼200 μK for 85Rb and ∼200 μK for 133Cs. Our 3D MOT setup allows full horizontal optical access to the trapped atomic ensembles without spatial interference from the trapping or repump laser beams. Our vacuum system is also quite simple, avoiding much of the complexity typically encountered in similar dual-species systems. However, the red detuning of the cooling laser used for atomic trapping in our system is relatively small, leaving room for further optimization. This system offers a versatile platform for exploring complex phenomena in ultracold atom physics, such as Rydberg molecule formation and interspecies interactions.
We describe a three-dimensional (3D) magneto-optical trap (MOT) capable of simultaneously capturing 85Rb and 133Cs atoms. Unlike conventional setups, our system utilizes two separate laser systems that are combined before entering the vacuum chamber, enabling the simultaneous trapping of two different atomic species. Additionally, in our 3D MOT configuration, two (of three) pairs of laser beams are not orthogonal to the chamber surfaces but are aligned at a 45° angle. With a total trapping laser power of 8 mW and repump laser power of 4 mW for Rb atoms, and a total trapping laser power of 7.5 mW and repump laser power of 1.5 mW for Cs atoms, we achieve optical depths (OD) of 3.71 for Rb and 3.45 for Cs, demonstrating efficient trapping for both species. Our 3D MOT setup allows full horizontal optical access to the trapped atomic ensembles without spatial interference from the trapping or repump laser beams. Moreover, the red detuning for trapping both atomic species is smaller than in traditional configurations. This system offers a versatile platform for exploring complex phenomena in ultracold atom physics, such as Rydberg molecule formation and interspecies interactions.
This thesis describes the advances made towards a dual-species magneto-optical trap (MOT) of Li and Rb for use in photoassociation spectroscopy, Feshbach resonance studies, and, as long-term aspirations, the formation of ultracold heteronuclear polar molecules. The initial discussion will focus on a brief theoretical overview of laser cooling and trapping and the production of ultracold molecules from a cold atom source. Subsequently, details of the experimental system, including those pertaining to the required laser light, the vacuum chamber, and the computer control system will be presented. Finally, preliminary optimization and characterization measurements showing the performance of a single species Li MOT are introduced. These measurements demonstrated the loading of over 8 x 107 Li atoms directly into a MOT without the need for a Zeeman slower.
This thesis describes the design and construction of a new apparatus to laser cool and trap Yb and Cs atoms with the ultimate aim of creating ultracold molecules with both an electric and magnetic dipole moment, which are of great interest in a range of fields. The Yb and Cs atomic beams are first generated and overlapped in a dual species oven. A collimated atomic beam of the two species is formed by the use of an array of capillary tubes at the exit of the oven. At this stage the atoms have an average velocity of 311m/s or 264m/s for Yb and Cs respectively, therefore it is necessary to reduce their velocity before they can be trapped in a magneto-optical trap (MOT). This initial stage of slowing is carried out with a Zeeman slower. Due to their atomic properties, Yb and Cs atoms are unable to be slowed by the same magnetic field profile therefore they cannot be loaded simultaneously, however, the Zeeman slower can load the atoms into a MOT sequentially. Once their velocities have been reduced to approximately 48m/s (10m/s) the Cs (Yb) atoms can be captured in a MOT. The laser systems for cooling Yb and Cs are also presented. Laser cooling of Cs is achieved on the D2 transition at 852.3nm whereas Yb can either be cooled on the 1S0 to 1P1 or 1S0 to 3P1 transitions at 398.9nm or 555.8nm respectively. Due to the relative linewidths of these transitions (2π×28.0MHz and 2π × 182.2kHz), Zeeman slowing is performed for Yb on the 1S0 to 1P1 transition and magneto-optical trapping on the 1S0 to 3P1 transition. A Cs MOT with 1 × 10^8 atoms and an Yb MOT with the order of 10^8 atoms on the narrow 556nm transition are demonstrated. The mixture can be sequentially loaded into a dual species MOT, paving the way for many further experiments exploring this novel mixture.
In this article, we report the measurement of collision-induced loss rate coefficients β_{Li,Rb} and β_{Rb,Li}, and also discuss means to significantly suppress such collision induced losses. We first describe our dual-species magneto-optical trap (MOT) that allows us to simultaneously trap > 5x10^8 7Li atoms loaded from a Zeeman slower and > 2x10^8 85Rb atoms loaded from a dispenser. We observe strong interspecies collision-induced losses in the MOTs which dramatically reduce the maximum atom number achievable in the MOTs. We measure the trap loss rate coefficients β_{Li,Rb} and β_{Rb,Li}, and, from a study of their dependence on the MOT parameters, determine the cause for the losses observed. Our results provide valuable insights into ultracold collisions between 7Li and 85Rb, guide our efforts to suppress collision induced losses, and also pave the way for the production of ultracold 7Li85Rb molecules.
We describe a hybrid vacuum system in which a single ion or a well-defined small number of trapped ions (in our case Ba(+) or Rb(+)) can be immersed into a cloud of ultracold neutral atoms (in our case Rb). This apparatus allows for the study of collisions and interactions between atoms and ions in the ultracold regime. Our setup is a combination of a Bose-Einstein condensation apparatus and a linear Paul trap. The main design feature of the apparatus is to first separate the production locations for the ion and the ultracold atoms and then to bring the two species together. This scheme has advantages in terms of stability and available access to the region where the atom-ion collision experiments are carried out. The ion and the atoms are brought together using a moving one-dimensional optical lattice transport which vertically lifts the atomic sample over a distance of 30 cm from its production chamber into the center of the Paul trap in another chamber. We present techniques to detect and control the relative position between the ion and the atom cloud.