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Journal of Modern Optics

Construction and characterization of a continuous atom beam interferometer

Michael Manicchia, J. Lee, George R. Welch, Jihane Mimih, Frank A. Narducci

Published Nov 12, 2019• 4 citations
Publisher

Abstract

In this article, we investigate both theoretically and experimentally the method of Ramsey interference applied to cold atoms being emitted from a 2-dimensional magneto-optical trap (2D-MOT) crossing continuous wave (cw) laser fields that drive Raman transitions between ground-state hyperfine sublevels. In our apparatus, the atomic beam divergence is large (56 mrad half-angle), necessitating the inclusion in our model of both the atomic divergence and the laser beam divergence as well as averaging over the transit time of the atoms through the laser beam. We discuss the effects of the divergence of the atomic and laser beams, and then we describe our apparatus and qualitatively compare our experimental results to the theoretical results. We find good agreement between our model and our experimental results.

DOI
10.1080/09500340.2019.1688410

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In this article, we investigate both theoretically and experimentally the method of Ramsey interference applied to cold atoms being emitted from a 2-dimensional magneto-optical trap (2D-MOT) crossing continuous wave (cw) laser fields that drive Raman transitions between ground-state hyperfine sublevels. In our apparatus, the atomic beam divergence is large (56 mrad half-angle), necessitating the inclusion in our model of both the atomic divergence and the laser beam divergence as well as averaging over the transit time of the atoms through the laser beam. We discuss the effects of the divergence of the atomic and laser beams, and then we describe our apparatus and qualitatively compare our experimental results to the theoretical results. We find good agreement between our model and our experimental results.
Atom interferometers consist of light pulses designed to create coherent superpositions of atomic states (“π/2” or “beam splitting” pulses) and that coherently interchange states (“π” or “mirror” pulses). In this article, we investigate the effects of imperfect pulses for a geometry specific to our apparatus. Atoms emerge from a 2-dimensional magneto-optical trap (2D MOT) in a continuous beam and cross continuous laser beams that drive stimulated Raman transitions. We use the atoms’ transit time through the laser field as the “pulse” time. We describe the impact of various effects on the contrast of the Rabi cycling, specifically the longitudinal velocity spread, the laser beam diameter and the spacing between the laser beams.
The use of atom interferometers in inertial systems holds the promise of improvement of several orders of magnitude in sensitivity over sensors using current technology such as micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) devices or ring laser gyroscopes (RLGs). This paper describes the construction and characterization of an atomic interferometry system for eventual use in a dual-atom-beam accelerometer/gyroscope sensor. In contrast with current state-of-the-art atomic sensors which use pulsed cold atom sources and pulsed laser beams, the investigated apparatus relies purely on continuous atomic and laser beams. These differences can result in a sensor with reduced complexity, a smaller physical footprint, and reduced power consumption. However, these differences also introduce challenges resulting from laser and atomic beam divergences and from velocity averaging due to both longitudinal and transverse velocity spreads. In this work, we characterize our rubidium-based atom beam system and show that Ramsey-style interference can still be observed. The implications for future research are also outlined and discussed.
We present a cold atomic beam source based on a two-dimensional (2D)+ magneto-optical trap (MOT), capable of generating a continuous cold beam of 87Rb atoms with a flux up to 4.3*10^9 atoms/s, a mean velocity of 10.96(2.20) m/s, and a transverse temperature of 16.90(1.56) uK. Investigating the influence of high cooling laser intensity, we observe a significant population loss of atoms to hyperfine-level dark states. To account for this, we employ a multiple hyperfine level model to calculate the cooling efficiency associated with the population in dark states, subsequently modifying the scattering force. Simulations of beam flux at different cooling and repumping laser intensities using the modified scattering force are in agreement with experimental results. Optimizing repumping and cooling intensities enhances the flux by 50%. The influence of phase modulation on both the pushing and cooling lasers is experimentally studied, revealing that the mean velocity of cold atoms can be tuned from 9.5 m/s to 14.6 m/s with a phase-modulated pushing laser. The versatility of this continuous beam source, featuring high flux, controlled velocity, and narrow transverse temperature, renders it valuable for applications in atom interferometers and clocks, ultimately enhancing bandwidth, sensitivity, and signal contrast in these devices.
We present a two-dimensional (2D) magneto-optical trap (MOT) setup for the production of a continuous collimated beam of cold 87Rb{}^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb atoms out of a vapor cell. The underlying physics is purely two-dimensional cooling and trapping, which allows for a high flux of up to $6\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{10}$ atoms/s and a small divergence of the resulting beam. We analyze the velocity distribution of the 2D MOT. The longitudinal velocity distribution of the atomic beam shows a broad feature (full width at half maximum $\ensuremath{\simeq}75 \mathrm{m}/\mathrm{s}),$ centered around 50 m/s. The dependence of the flux on laser intensity, on geometry of the trapping volume, and on pressure in the vapor cell was investigated in detail. The influence of the geometry of the 2D MOT on the mean velocity of the cold beam has been studied. We present a simple model for the velocity distribution of the flux based on rate equations describing the general features of our source.
We present the implementation and characterization of a slow, intense, and collimated rubidium atomic source for atom interferometry. The continuous87Rb cold atomic beam is produced by a new compact two-dimensional magneto-optical trap. And it is based on the 2D+MOT design but a much smaller size and a higher flux compared to our original LVIS system. The on-line detecting system developed over a combination of time-of-flight and fluorescence methods is used to optimize the beam parameters. The dependence of the beam flux on detuning and power are investigated in detail respectively, for cooling and pushing laser. The re-pumping laser power influence is also considered. With aError! Reference source not found.10 G/cm magnetic gradient, 3ΓError! Reference source not found. red detuning from resonance for cooling laser and 5ΓError! Reference source not found. red detuning for pushing laser, the obtained cold atomic beam has a high flux of 4.7×109atoms/s Error! Reference source not found. Error! Reference source not found. It has a narrow longitudinal velocity distribution with mean velocity 10 m/s and full width at half maximum (FWHM)Error! Reference source not found.2 m/sError! Reference source not found. The two-photo stimulated Raman transitions both in Doppler-free and Doppler-sensitive modes are first proceeded, and stable Raman-Ramsey fringes are achieved with twon/2 Error! Reference source not found. Raman pulses.