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arXiv:2502.07228 · Review of Scientific Instruments

Robust high-temperature atomic beam source with a microcapillary array

Peter Dotti, Xiao Chai, Jeremy L. Tanlimco, Ethan Q. Simmons, David Weld

Published Jun 1, 2025• 0 citations
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Abstract

We present a new design for a directed high-flux, high-temperature atomic vapor source for use in atomic physics experiments conducted under vacuum. An externally heated nozzle made of an array of stainless steel microcapillaries produces a collimated atomic beam. Welded stainless steel construction allows for operation at high source temperatures without exposing delicate ConFlat vacuum flanges to thermal stress, greatly enhancing robustness compared to previously published designs. We report in operando performance measurements of an atomic beam of lithium at various operating temperatures.

DOI
10.1063/5.0264834

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We present a new design for a directed high-flux, high-temperature atomic vapor source for use in atomic physics experiments conducted under vacuum. An externally heated nozzle made of an array of stainless steel microcapillaries produces a collimated atomic beam. Welded stainless steel construction allows for operation at high source temperatures without exposing delicate ConFlat vacuum flanges to thermal stress, greatly enhancing robustness compared to previously published designs. We report in operando performance measurements of an atomic beam of lithium at various operating temperatures.
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We present a simple and inexpensive design for a multichannel effusive oven nozzle which provides improved atomic beam collimation and thus extended oven lifetimes. Using this design we demonstrate an atomic lithium source suitable for trapped-atom experiments. At a nozzle temperature of 525∘^{\circ}∘C the collimated atomic beam flux directly after the nozzle is 1.2×10141.2 \times 10^{14}1.2×1014 atoms per second with a peak beam intensity greater than 5.0×10165.0 \times 10^{16}5.0×1016 atoms per second per steradian. This suggests an oven lifetime of several decades of continuous operation.
Alkali metal dispensers have become an indispensable tool in the production of atomic vapors for magnetometry, alkali vapor cell clocks, and laser cooling experiments. A primary advantage of these dispensers is that they contain alkali metal in an inert form that can be exposed to air without hazard. However, their high temperature of operation (>600 °C) is undesirable for many applications, as it shifts the atomic speed distribution to higher values and presents a radiative heat source that can raise the temperature of its surroundings. For this reason, dispensers are typically not used in line-of-sight applications, such as atomic beam generation. In this work, we present an integrated rubidium dispenser collimating device with a thickness of only 2 mm that produces a beam of atoms traveling primarily in the forward direction. We find that the collimator plate serves to both shield the dispenser's radiation and moderate the velocity of the atomic beam so that the measured longitudinal speed distribution is comparable to that of an ordinary alkali oven at only a slightly elevated temperature of 200 °C. To confirm our theory, we also constructed another compact apparatus consisting of a dispenser and a silicon collimator and the measurements support our conclusion. Our integrated dispenser collimator will particularly be useful in integrated photonics and cavity QED on-chip, where a localized, directed source of Rb vapor in small quantities is needed.
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Atomic oven generating controllable atomic beam flux plays a fundamental role in quantum gas experiments. Here, we report a new heater design that can heat up an high temperature atomic oven with fast thermal response. The new heater shows a heating rate improved by 7.65 times comparing to that of the conventional resistive heater while the crucible temperature can heated up to 1200K. With this oven, we generated a collimated ytterbium beam with flux exceeding 1014 atoms/s10^{14} \text{ atoms/s}1014 atoms/s at 823 K. We believe that our design offers a promising solution for shortening experimental dead time and improve the experiment efficiency in cold atom researches.