A Diode-laser-based Magneto-optical Trap for Rubidium Atoms

A. Pietiläinen, H. Ludvigsen, Hannu Talvitie +1 more

Vasily M. Entin, I. I. Ryabtsev, Yu. V. Brzhazovskiǐ

Results on study of MOT fluorescence in presence of microwave field applied to ground state splitting of atoms in trap are presented. Experiments are performed with rubidium atoms in conventional three circular polarized retroreflected beams magneto-optical trap setup in the next conditions. To make trapping, two external cavity diode lasers frequency locked to saturated absorption peaks at D-2 line of rubidium are used. The power of each laser is about 6 mW. The locking circuit allowed the tuning of offset frequency within wing of saturation absorption peak via computer.

Evan J. Carlson, Daniel S. Roberson, Shannon K. Mayer

Margaret S. Martei, Anders Wood, Duncan Tate

A free-running, temperature stabilized diode laser has been injection-locked to an external cavity diode laser for use in cold Rydberg atom experiments. Cold rubidium atoms in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) are excited to Rydberg states using a 10 ns laser pulse. The Rydberg atoms spontaneously ionize due to dipole forces, and the collisional ionization dynamics are observed as a function of atom density and principal quantum number of the Rydberg state, n. The injection-locked diode laser will be used as a repumper in conjunction with a dark spontaneous-force optical trap (SPOT) to increase the Rydberg state density. We report on the design of the injection-locked laser system.

Thomas Lindvall, Juha Toivonen, Ilkka Juhani Tittonen +2 more

Christopher J. Myatt, Nathan R. Newbury, R. W. Ghrist +2 more

We report a two-chambered, differentially pumped system that permits rapid collection of trapped atoms with a vapor cell magneto-optical trap (MOT) and efficient transfer of these atoms to a second MOT in a lowerpressure chamber. During the transfer the atoms are guided down a long, thin tube by a magnetic potential, with 90(15%) transfer efficiency. By multiply loading, we accumulate and hold as many as 30 times the number collected by the vapor cell MOT. By thus separating the collection and holding functions of a MOT, we can collect as many as 1.5(0.6) x 10(10) rubidium atoms and hold them for longer than 100 s, using inexpensive low-power diode lasers.