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Optics Letters

Long-distance channeling of cold atoms exiting a 2D magneto-optical trap by a Laguerre–Gaussian laser beam

Vincent Carrat, Citlali Cabrera-Gutiérrez, Marion Jacquey, J. W. R. Tabosa, B. Viaris de Lesegno, Laurence Pruvost

Published Jan 30, 2014• 24 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Using a blue-detuned laser, shaped into a nearly Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) donut mode, we channel atoms exiting a two-dimensional magneto-optical trap (2D-MOT) over a 30 cm distance. Compared to a freely propagating beam, the atomic flux (∼10(10) at/s) is conserved whereas the divergence is reduced from 40 to 3 mrad. So, 30 cm far the 2D-MOT exit, the atomic beam has a 1 mm diameter and the atomic density is increased by a factor of ∼200. The LG-channeled-2D-MOT has been studied versus the order of the LG mode (from 2 to 10) and versus the laser-atom frequency detuning (from 2 to 120 GHz).

DOI
10.1364/ol.39.000719

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Using a blue-detuned laser, shaped into a nearly Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) donut mode, we channel atoms exiting a two-dimensional magneto-optical trap (2D-MOT) over a 30 cm distance. Compared to a freely propagating beam, the atomic flux (∼10(10) at/s) is conserved whereas the divergence is reduced from 40 to 3 mrad. So, 30 cm far the 2D-MOT exit, the atomic beam has a 1 mm diameter and the atomic density is increased by a factor of ∼200. The LG-channeled-2D-MOT has been studied versus the order of the LG mode (from 2 to 10) and versus the laser-atom frequency detuning (from 2 to 120 GHz).
Using a blue detuned laser shaped in a Laguerre-Gaussian donut mode we highly collimate the output of a two dimensional magneto-optical trap. The resulting atomic beam has a 1 mm diameter, its divergence is reduced from 40 down to 3 mrad and the atomic density is increased by a factor of 200. The collimation effect has been studied versus the order of the Laguerre-Gaussian mode (up to 10) and the laser atom frequency detuning (2 to 120 GHz). The 2D-colli-MOT study allows us to determine the best conditions which minimize the atom heating due to residual light absorption and optimize the collimation effect. The 2D-colli MOT could provide a new tool to fill a 3D-MOT using lasers with millimeter range diameters and thus sparing the laser power.
Laser cooling and trapping has led to a revolution in Atomic and Molecular physics. Optical traps created with blue-detuned laser beams are desired for numerous studies. One method of creating such a trap is with Laguerre-Gaussian laser beams. Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) laser beams are interesting because of their orbital angular momentum and radial intensity modes. Previous methods of creating higher-order LG beams did not yield pure LG modes. In collaboration with Digital Optics Corporation diffraction optics have been manufactured that yield higher-order LG laser beams with purities consistent with 100% of the intensity in the desire mode. We then create a donut-mode LG beam with this method to confine atoms from a MOT in both a blue-detuned and a red-detuned optical dipole force trap.
A novel scheme of transferring cold atoms in a double magneto-optical trap (MOT) system has been experimentally demonstrated. Cold cesium atoms trapped in a vapor-cell MOT are efficiently transferred to an ultrahigh-vacuum (UHV) MOT by a continuous-wave divergent Gaussian transfer laser beam. When large red detuning and moderate intensity are adopted for the transfer laser beam, enhancement of the recapturing of atoms in the UHV MOT is clearly observed. Using the divergent transfer laser beam (diameter of approximately 1.60 mm in the vapor-cell MOT region) with typical power of approximately 20.2 mW, up to approximately 85% of transfer efficiency is obtained when the frequency detuning is set to around -1.2 GHz, and it is not sensitive to small detuning variation. This transfer is much efficient compared with that in the case of continuous-wave near-resonance weak transfer laser beam (typical power of order of approximately 100 microW and typical frequency detuning of approximately-10 MHz) which is normally used in double-MOT experiment. The enhancement is ascribed to the guiding effect on cold atomic flux by transverse dipole potential of the large red-detuned transfer laser beam.
Summary form only given. Extracting cold atoms from a magneto-optical trap (MOT) has been the subject of central interest in recent years. This has seen the emergence of the area of atom guiding along hollow core optical fibers and also along light beams. The guiding and the extraction of cold atoms is of central importance in generating bright, high flux atomic sources for various experiments in atom optics. In this paper we describe and experimentally realize a scheme for extracting cold atoms directly from a magnetooptical trap along a Laguerre-Gaussian light beam.
We demonstrated an atom funnel using blue-detuned near-field light. Cold Rb atoms generated by a magneto-optical trap (MOT) were introduced into the funnel and the output atoms were counted by an accumulative MOT detection system. The number of cold Rb atoms outputted from a 200-/spl mu/m exit hole was maximal at a blue detuning of 1.2 GHz under Sisyphus cooling. The flux intensity was estimated to be 10/sup 5/ atoms/cm/sup 2/s. To increase the flux intensity up to 10/sup 13/ atoms/cm/sup 2/s, we made an atom funnel with a 2-/spl mu/m exit hole.
Summary form only given. We report optical guiding of cold atoms in a free-propagating far-detuned laser beam. The atoms are initially cooled and collected in a magneto-optical trap (MOT), which typically contains over 10/sup 8/ atoms in a cigar shaped cloud with an aspect ratio of 4. Approximately 20% of these atoms are loaded into a far-detuned optical dipole beam aligned vertically through the MOT. The number loaded is limited primarily by geometrical overlap. Both guided and unguided atoms are launched with a velocity of 1.25 m/s and a temperature of 20 /spl mu/K. The guided beam is focused through a 1 mm aperture, 6 cm above the MOT, which connects the vapour cell to a UHV chamber. Atoms can be launched within the guide without heating and guided into a UHV chamber with 100% efficiency. In continuous operation, the scheme allows extraction of atoms from a MOT without loss of phase space density.