Cold-Atom Quantum Optical Sources

Jaime Ramirez-Serrano, James M. Kohel, James R. Kellogg +3 more

An apparatus that serves as a source of a cold beam of atoms contains multiple two-dimensional (2D) magneto-optical traps (MOTs). (Cold beams of atoms are used in atomic clocks and in diverse scientific experiments and applications.) The multiple-2D-MOT design of this cold atom source stands in contrast to single-2D-MOT designs of prior cold atom sources of the same type. The advantages afforded by the present design are that this apparatus is smaller than prior designs.

E. Giacobino, Jean-Michel Courty, Claude Fabre +2 more

Jaime Ramirez-Serrano, Nan Yu, James M. Kohel +2 more

A compact cold atom beam source based on a multistage two-dimensional magneto-optical trap (MOT) has been demonstrated and characterized. The multiple-stage design greatly reduces the overall size of the source apparatus while providing a high flux of atoms. The cold atom beam was used to load a separate MOT in ultrahigh vacuum, and we obtained an actual trap loading rate of 1.5 x 109 atoms/s while using only 20 mW of total laser power for the source. The entire source apparatus, including optics, can fit into a 4 cm x 4 cm x 13 cm volume.

Astrid Lambrecht, Jean-Michel Courty, Serge Reynaud +1 more

Shengwang Du

Joseph Kim Fai Ng, Luis A. Orozco

Summary form only given. We have developed a magneto-optical trap that accumulates and captures rubidium atoms from the residual gas in a glass cell. The rubidium metal can come from a getter dispenser or from the vapor pressure of an ampoule. We are implementing a cold atom source for experiments in cavity quantum electrodynamics. This source of atoms can be operated in a cycle of capture, cooling, and ejection with a high repetition rate. This source will permit investigations of cavity quantum electrodynamics in the optical regime.