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Physical Review A

Loading mechanism for atomic guides

Boon-Keng Kevin Teo, Georg A. Raithel

Published Feb 12, 2001• 35 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We present a method of coupling laser-cooled atoms from a vapor-cell magneto-optic trap (MOT) into a magnetic atom guide. The axis of the four-wire quadrupole guide passes directly through the center of the MOT. The guide is tilted at a small angle with respect to the horizontal plane to facilitate the propagation of the atoms released from the MOT into the guide. We demonstrate the loading of ${10}^{5}{ }^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ atoms into the guide and measure their propagation up to distances of 17 cm (limited by the guide length). The guide incorporates a tapered section in which the guide diameter reduces by a factor of about 3.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.63.031402

Related papers

Loading mechanism for atomic guides

Boon-Keng Kevin Teo, Georg A. Raithel

Summary form only given. Small guides can produce very strong confining fields but the transfer of cold atoms from a magneto optical trap (MOT) into such guides present a problem. This is because MOTs require a fixed trapping volume of /spl sim/ 1 cm/sup 3/ and cannot be miniaturized in the same way as atom guides. We demonstrate the loading of atoms from a cycled MOT into a tapered magnetic atom guide that overlaps with the MOT. This integrated loading strategy involves the formation of a MOT directly inside the atom guide.

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Summary form only given. Our guide is similar to the in-line magneto-optical trap (MOT) described previously. Two parallel wire structures placed outside the vacuum chamber (tilted at 11/spl deg/ from the horizontal) provide the transverse trapping field which is compatible with the simultaneous operation of an in-line MOT. A tapered iron alloy (magnetic iron) surrounds each of the wire structures and boosts the field gradient by up to a factor of 4.

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Cold atom dynamics in atomic waveguides and optical lattices.

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We have constructed a tapered magnetic atom guide that is integrated with a magneto-optical trap. We have observed atom guiding over distances of up to 20 cm. This integrated strategy is useful for loading atoms into wire guides. We have shown that tapered sections in atom guides. i.e. sections with a variable steepness of the transverse guiding potential, can reflect atoms propagating in the guide. The reflection arises from the adiabatic conservation of the action of the transverse motion; the latter can be used as a control parameter for the atom reflectivity. A method of producing a slow, dark atomic beam of atoms is demonstrated. Atoms that are extracted from a magneto-optical trap using a push beam are quickly pumped into a dark state, which does not interact with the push laser beam. This method is capable of producing atoms with a velocity of order 1 m/s. The slow atoms can be coupled into atom guides. In related research, we observe tunneling resonances of atoms in a 1D optical lattice through the measurement of the magnetization. These resonances manifest themselves as modulations in the magnetization curves. The resonances are shown to be related to the coherence properties of the atoms, and exist only under conditions where the coherence time exceeds the tunneling period of the atoms.

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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.

Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference•Jan 20, 2003•0 citations

An optically guided atomic fountain

Hilary Jane Davies

This thesis describes the development of a laser-cooling experiment aimed at efficient transfer of cold atoms over a short distance, for loading into a conservative atom trap. We detail the construction of a 3D magneto-optical trap (MOT) and perform characterisation measurements to optimise the number and temperature of the cold atoms. The atoms are launched vertically in a fountain from the MOT using a 'moving molasses' technique and a red-detuned far-off-resonant laser beam is used to guide them into an UHV chamber. Loading into the guiding beam is optimised with respect to the beam and MOT parameters. We demonstrate a maximum loading of 20% and guiding over a distance of more than 10 cm without loss of atoms. The atoms are delivered to the UHV chamber in a cloud with a transverse dimension of order 200 #mu#m. We discuss the extension to continuous operation of the guided atomic fountain. The 3D MOT is replaced by a funnel with 2D trapping and 3D cooling which continuously extracts the cold atoms using moving molasses. A comparison between the flux of guided atoms obtained in a pulsed fashion from the 3D MOT and continuously from the funnel indicate that the pulsed case is a factor of ten more efficient. The difference is due to inferior loading from the funnel. The optically guided fountain is used to load an optical dipole trap in the UHV chamber, using an 'optical trap door'. No additional cooling is required. The dynamics of the atoms in the optical dipole trap are studied. We discuss multiple loading of a conservative trap with the view of accumulating more atoms than can be obtained in a MOT. (author)

•Jan 1, 1999•0 citations
We present a method of coupling laser-cooled atoms from a vapor-cell magneto-optic trap (MOT) into a magnetic atom guide. The axis of the four-wire quadrupole guide passes directly through the center of the MOT. The guide is tilted at a small angle with respect to the horizontal plane to facilitate the propagation of the atoms released from the MOT into the guide. We demonstrate the loading of 10587Rb{10}^{5}{ }^{87}\mathrm{Rb}10587Rb atoms into the guide and measure their propagation up to distances of 17 cm (limited by the guide length). The guide incorporates a tapered section in which the guide diameter reduces by a factor of about 3.
Summary form only given. Small guides can produce very strong confining fields but the transfer of cold atoms from a magneto optical trap (MOT) into such guides present a problem. This is because MOTs require a fixed trapping volume of /spl sim/ 1 cm/sup 3/ and cannot be miniaturized in the same way as atom guides. We demonstrate the loading of atoms from a cycled MOT into a tapered magnetic atom guide that overlaps with the MOT. This integrated loading strategy involves the formation of a MOT directly inside the atom guide.
We demonstrate experimentally the continuous and pulsed loading of a slow and cold atomic beam into a magnetic guide. The slow beam is produced using a vapor loaded laser trap, which ensures two-dimensional magneto-optical trapping, as well as cooling by a moving molasses along the third direction. It provides a continuous flux larger than 10910^9109 atoms/s with an adjustable mean velocity ranging from 0.3 to 3 m/s, and with longitudinal and transverse temperatures smaller than 100μ100 \mu100μK. Up to 31083 10^83108 atoms/s are injected into the magnetic guide and subsequently guided over a distance of 40 cm.
We have constructed a tapered magnetic atom guide that is integrated with a magneto-optical trap. We have observed atom guiding over distances of up to 20 cm. This integrated strategy is useful for loading atoms into wire guides. We have shown that tapered sections in atom guides. i.e. sections with a variable steepness of the transverse guiding potential, can reflect atoms propagating in the guide. The reflection arises from the adiabatic conservation of the action of the transverse motion; the latter can be used as a control parameter for the atom reflectivity. A method of producing a slow, dark atomic beam of atoms is demonstrated. Atoms that are extracted from a magneto-optical trap using a push beam are quickly pumped into a dark state, which does not interact with the push laser beam. This method is capable of producing atoms with a velocity of order 1 m/s. The slow atoms can be coupled into atom guides. In related research, we observe tunneling resonances of atoms in a 1D optical lattice through the measurement of the magnetization. These resonances manifest themselves as modulations in the magnetization curves. The resonances are shown to be related to the coherence properties of the atoms, and exist only under conditions where the coherence time exceeds the tunneling period of the atoms.
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.
This thesis describes the development of a laser-cooling experiment aimed at efficient transfer of cold atoms over a short distance, for loading into a conservative atom trap. We detail the construction of a 3D magneto-optical trap (MOT) and perform characterisation measurements to optimise the number and temperature of the cold atoms. The atoms are launched vertically in a fountain from the MOT using a 'moving molasses' technique and a red-detuned far-off-resonant laser beam is used to guide them into an UHV chamber. Loading into the guiding beam is optimised with respect to the beam and MOT parameters. We demonstrate a maximum loading of 20% and guiding over a distance of more than 10 cm without loss of atoms. The atoms are delivered to the UHV chamber in a cloud with a transverse dimension of order 200 #mu#m. We discuss the extension to continuous operation of the guided atomic fountain. The 3D MOT is replaced by a funnel with 2D trapping and 3D cooling which continuously extracts the cold atoms using moving molasses. A comparison between the flux of guided atoms obtained in a pulsed fashion from the 3D MOT and continuously from the funnel indicate that the pulsed case is a factor of ten more efficient. The difference is due to inferior loading from the funnel. The optically guided fountain is used to load an optical dipole trap in the UHV chamber, using an 'optical trap door'. No additional cooling is required. The dynamics of the atoms in the optical dipole trap are studied. We discuss multiple loading of a conservative trap with the view of accumulating more atoms than can be obtained in a MOT. (author)