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SECAMP - Student Experiments with Cold Atoms on Micro- and Hypergravity Platforms

Jens Große, Philipp Laschewski, Bradley Lockett, Oskar Zimakowski, Michael Elsen, Marvin G. Warner, Lisa Wörner, Hauke Müntinga, Sven Herrmann, Claus Braxmaier

Published Oct 1, 2018• 1 citation
OpenAlex

Abstract

The QUANTUS consortium started activities to perform atom interferometry on a sounding rocket in the year 2011. Three sounding rocket missions (MAIUS-1 to 3) have been planned to demonstrate Bose-Einstein condensation and atom interferometry with rubidium and potassium atoms. Two different payloads MAIUS-A and MAIUS-B are being designed, qualified and integrated in the time frame from 2011 until 2020. Based on this heritage the “Student Experiments with Cold Atoms for Microgravity Platforms” (SECAMP) project has been started at the University of Bremen. The scope of the project is to design and built a payload for student experiments with cold atoms on multiple micro-gravity and hyper-gravity platforms. The apparatus shall allow the generation of a molasses of Rubidium-87 atoms and observation of the cooled atoms through fluorescence imaging in three perpendicular axes. This will enable detecting the movement of the atoms due to (residual) accelerations once the magneto-optical trap is switched off. As such the setup will form a simple accelerometer. The payload shall be designed to be suitable for operation on hyperbolic flights, the drop tower, sounding rockets and centrifuges allowing the participants to apply for the manifold national and European student programs on these platforms. This talk will give an overview on the current design and the requirements imposed by the different platforms. Moreover the student team and their role in the project will be presented and the current status of the project will be highlighted.

Related papers

The MAIUS Sounding Rocket Missions – Recent Results, Lessons Learned and Future Activities

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The QUANTUS consortium started activities to perform atom interferometry on a sounding rocket in the year 2011. Three sounding rocket missions (MAIUS-1 to 3) have been planned to demonstrate Bose-Einstein condensation and atom interferometry with rubidium and potassium atoms. Two different payloads MAIUS-A and MAIUS-B are being designed, qualified and integrated in the time frame from 2011 until 2020. The MAIUS-A scientific payload demonstrated the first Bose-Einstein Condensates in Space in the challenging environment aboard a two-staged VSB-30 sounding rocket on the 23rd of January 2017. In order to achieve this ambitious scientific goal the experiment used various sensitive instruments imposing strong requirements on the thermal and mechanical design of the scientific payload. This paper gives a summary of the MAIUS-A and MAIUS-B scientific payload design. Furthermore, the lessons learned from the MAIUS-1 maiden flight as well as the integration and testing activities and their impact on the MAIUS-B scientific payload design are presented. The paper closes with an outlook on future atom interferometry payloads on sounding rockets and beyond.

•Sep 1, 2017•0 citations

THERMAL CONTROL SYSTEM FOR THE MAIUS ATOM INTERFEROMETER PAYLOADS ON A VSB-30 SOUNDING ROCKET

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The QUANTUS consortium started activities to perform atom interferometry on a sounding rocket in the year 2011. Three sounding rocket missions (MAIUS-1 to MAIUS-3) have been planned to demonstrate BoseEinstein condensation and atom interferometry with rubidium and potassium atoms. Two different payloads MAIUS-A and MAIUS-B have been designed qualified and integrated in the time frame from 2011 until 2020. The MAIUS-A scientific payload is capable of performing single species experiment with rubidium only and was used as a technology demonstrator in the MAIUS-1 mission. The MAIUS-1 mission was conducted in fall 2016. On the 23rd of January 2017 the payload MAIUS-A was launched on a VSB-30 sounding rocket. The payload created the first Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) and performed atom interferometry aboard a sounding rocket with rubidium 87 atoms [Becker 2018]. Its successor MAIUS-B will be able to perform simultaneous experiments with Bose-Einstein Condensates of Rubidium-87 and Potassium-41 atoms. In order to achieve this ambitious scientific goal the experiments use various sensitive instruments imposing strong requirements on the thermal and mechanical design of the scientific payload. This paper gives a summary of the MAIUS-A and MAIUS-B scientific payload design with a focus on the thermal control system. Furthermore, the design of the GSE and the water cooling umbilicals is presented. The paper closes with an outlook on future atom interferometry payloads on sounding rockets and beyond.

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FINAL DESIGN OF THE MAIUS-2/3 PAYLOAD AN ATOM INTERFEROMETER ON ASOUNDING ROCKET

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In January 2017 a first sounding rocket mission housing experiments on matter-wave interferometry, MAIUS-1 (Materiewellen-Interferometrie unter Schwerelosigkeit Matter-Wave Interferometry under Microgravity), has been launched. Following this campaign, two sounding rocket missions, MAIUS-2 and MAIUS-3, are planned to perform sequential and simultaneous dual-species atom interferometry with Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) of Potassium-41 and Rubidium-87. The scientific payload of the MAIUS missions will be launched on-board a VSB-30 sounding rocket launched from Esrange in Sweden. The ights of these rockets allows for approximately 360 s of microgravity conditions. It therefore overs a microgravity environment for experiments on timescales not accessible in ground based experiments, such as in the drop tower. During ascent of the rocket, vibrational loads of up to 1.8 g RMS in the frequency range of 20- 2000 Hz and accelerations of up to 13 g can occur. Furthermore, static loads, caused by the re-entry and the landing, can be as high as 50 g. Both missions MAIUS-2 and MAIUS-3 y the same payload, called MAIUS-B. Consequently, the payload needs to be designed to withstand the aforementioned loads

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Bose-Einstein-Condensates (BECs) can be used as a very sensitive tool for experiments on fundamental questions in physics like testing the equivalence principle using matter wave interferometry. Since the sensitivity of these experiments in ground-based environments is limited by the available free fall time, the QUANTUS project started to perform BEC interferometry experiments in micro-gravity. After successful campaigns in the drop tower, the next step is a space-borne experiment. The MAIUS-mission will be an atom-optical experiment that will show the feasibility of experiments with ultra-cold quantum gases in microgravity in a sounding rocket. The experiment will create a BEC of 10(5) (87)Rb-atoms in less than 5 s and will demonstrate application of basic atom interferometer techniques over a flight time of 6 min. The hardware is specifically designed to match the requirements of a sounding rocket mission. Special attention is thereby spent on the appropriate magnetic shielding from varying magnetic fields during the rocket flight, since the experiment procedures are very sensitive to external magnetic fields. A three-layer magnetic shielding provides a high shielding effectiveness factor of at least 1000 for an undisturbed operation of the experiment. The design of this magnetic shielding, the magnetic properties, simulations, and tests of its suitability for a sounding rocket flight are presented in this article.

Review of Scientific Instruments•Jun 1, 2016•29 citations

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Ernst Maria Rasel

Extended free fall enables experiments with quantum gases unbiased by gravity. Apart from a 10m-fountain, we have access to various platforms comprising the Bremen drop- and gravi-tower, the Einstein Elevator, sounding rockets as well as NASA‘s cold atom laboratory (CAL) in orbit, all offering experiments with different durations and repetition rates. Atom chips turned out to successfully create Rubidium Bose-Einstein condensates on these platforms. Recently we have lowered the expansion energies of Bose-Einstein condensates to an unprecedented level corresponding to 38pK which makes them an excellent resource for interferometry. We exploit the latter to study delta-kick collimation as well to extend interferometry times in free fall. Atom chips also allow to investigate quantum mixtures in absence of bouyancy. For this purpose, we have been creating potassium 41 BECs by sympathetic cooling with rubidium. These experiments were continued to space by sounding rocket missions and the CAL. In future, the recently inaugurated Einstein elevator as well as gravitower will be important platforms to increase the experimental cycles to study quantum gas mixtures and high-precision interferometry as well as to test fundamental physics such as Einstein’s principle of equivalence and the nature of dark energy on ground in free fall.

Optical and Quantum Sensing and Precision Metrology II•Mar 12, 2024•0 citations

Exploring quantum gases for space-borne interferometry

Ernst Maria Rasel

Ultra-cold quantum gases in space promise to boost the sensitivity of matter-wave interferometers. Applications of the latter extend from fundamental physics over the use in navigation to interdisciplinary applications such as geodesy, e.g. satellite gravimetry [1, 2]. Exploiting quantum gases for high-precision interferometry places high demands on their control and manipulation. We take benefit of various microgravity platforms such as the Bremen drop tower [3], the Einstein elevator in Hannover [4], sounding rockets [5,6] and the international space station [7] to advance the necessary methods. The DLR-mission MAIUS-1 demonstrated Bose-Einstein condensation and performed first interferometry experiments [4]. NASA’s Cold Atom Laboratory continues this research in orbit on the ISS [7]. In addition, atom interferometry is pursued in highly dynamic environments such as parabolic flights [8]. Starting from a rubidium Bose-Einstein condensate, recently lowest expansion energies have been achieved by us in the Bremen drop tower as required for extending atom interferometry over several seconds [9]. Extending these methods to quantum mixtures not only opens up new physics in the absence of buoyancy, but also faces challenges regarding their use for interferometry. Interferometers based on two chemical elements have been proposed for quantum tests of the equivalence principle on the ISS as well as on satellites. Currently we prepare a sounding rocket mission to investigate the simultaneous generation and manipulation of potassium and rubidium condensates [10]. Together with CAL [7], these experiments will prepare the DLR-NASA multi-user facility BECCAL for research on quantum gas mixtures and interferometry [11] as well as enhance the readiness level of methods required for STE-QUEST [12], a proposal for a satellite mission currently studied in an modified version within ESA’s VOYAGE 2050 program [13].

International Conference on Space Optics (ICSO)•Jul 12, 2023•0 citations
The QUANTUS consortium started activities to perform atom interferometry on a sounding rocket in the year 2011. Three sounding rocket missions (MAIUS-1 to 3) have been planned to demonstrate Bose-Einstein condensation and atom interferometry with rubidium and potassium atoms. Two different payloads MAIUS-A and MAIUS-B are being designed, qualified and integrated in the time frame from 2011 until 2020. Based on this heritage the “Student Experiments with Cold Atoms for Microgravity Platforms” (SECAMP) project has been started at the University of Bremen. The scope of the project is to design and built a payload for student experiments with cold atoms on multiple micro-gravity and hyper-gravity platforms. The apparatus shall allow the generation of a molasses of Rubidium-87 atoms and observation of the cooled atoms through fluorescence imaging in three perpendicular axes. This will enable detecting the movement of the atoms due to (residual) accelerations once the magneto-optical trap is switched off. As such the setup will form a simple accelerometer. The payload shall be designed to be suitable for operation on hyperbolic flights, the drop tower, sounding rockets and centrifuges allowing the participants to apply for the manifold national and European student programs on these platforms. This talk will give an overview on the current design and the requirements imposed by the different platforms. Moreover the student team and their role in the project will be presented and the current status of the project will be highlighted.
The QUANTUS consortium started activities to perform atom interferometry on a sounding rocket in the year 2011. Three sounding rocket missions (MAIUS-1 to 3) have been planned to demonstrate Bose-Einstein condensation and atom interferometry with rubidium and potassium atoms. Two different payloads MAIUS-A and MAIUS-B are being designed, qualified and integrated in the time frame from 2011 until 2020. The MAIUS-A scientific payload demonstrated the first Bose-Einstein Condensates in Space in the challenging environment aboard a two-staged VSB-30 sounding rocket on the 23rd of January 2017. In order to achieve this ambitious scientific goal the experiment used various sensitive instruments imposing strong requirements on the thermal and mechanical design of the scientific payload. This paper gives a summary of the MAIUS-A and MAIUS-B scientific payload design. Furthermore, the lessons learned from the MAIUS-1 maiden flight as well as the integration and testing activities and their impact on the MAIUS-B scientific payload design are presented. The paper closes with an outlook on future atom interferometry payloads on sounding rockets and beyond.
The QUANTUS consortium started activities to perform atom interferometry on a sounding rocket in the year 2011. Three sounding rocket missions (MAIUS-1 to MAIUS-3) have been planned to demonstrate BoseEinstein condensation and atom interferometry with rubidium and potassium atoms. Two different payloads MAIUS-A and MAIUS-B have been designed qualified and integrated in the time frame from 2011 until 2020. The MAIUS-A scientific payload is capable of performing single species experiment with rubidium only and was used as a technology demonstrator in the MAIUS-1 mission. The MAIUS-1 mission was conducted in fall 2016. On the 23rd of January 2017 the payload MAIUS-A was launched on a VSB-30 sounding rocket. The payload created the first Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) and performed atom interferometry aboard a sounding rocket with rubidium 87 atoms [Becker 2018]. Its successor MAIUS-B will be able to perform simultaneous experiments with Bose-Einstein Condensates of Rubidium-87 and Potassium-41 atoms. In order to achieve this ambitious scientific goal the experiments use various sensitive instruments imposing strong requirements on the thermal and mechanical design of the scientific payload. This paper gives a summary of the MAIUS-A and MAIUS-B scientific payload design with a focus on the thermal control system. Furthermore, the design of the GSE and the water cooling umbilicals is presented. The paper closes with an outlook on future atom interferometry payloads on sounding rockets and beyond.
In January 2017 a first sounding rocket mission housing experiments on matter-wave interferometry, MAIUS-1 (Materiewellen-Interferometrie unter Schwerelosigkeit Matter-Wave Interferometry under Microgravity), has been launched. Following this campaign, two sounding rocket missions, MAIUS-2 and MAIUS-3, are planned to perform sequential and simultaneous dual-species atom interferometry with Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) of Potassium-41 and Rubidium-87. The scientific payload of the MAIUS missions will be launched on-board a VSB-30 sounding rocket launched from Esrange in Sweden. The ights of these rockets allows for approximately 360 s of microgravity conditions. It therefore overs a microgravity environment for experiments on timescales not accessible in ground based experiments, such as in the drop tower. During ascent of the rocket, vibrational loads of up to 1.8 g RMS in the frequency range of 20- 2000 Hz and accelerations of up to 13 g can occur. Furthermore, static loads, caused by the re-entry and the landing, can be as high as 50 g. Both missions MAIUS-2 and MAIUS-3 y the same payload, called MAIUS-B. Consequently, the payload needs to be designed to withstand the aforementioned loads
Bose-Einstein-Condensates (BECs) can be used as a very sensitive tool for experiments on fundamental questions in physics like testing the equivalence principle using matter wave interferometry. Since the sensitivity of these experiments in ground-based environments is limited by the available free fall time, the QUANTUS project started to perform BEC interferometry experiments in micro-gravity. After successful campaigns in the drop tower, the next step is a space-borne experiment. The MAIUS-mission will be an atom-optical experiment that will show the feasibility of experiments with ultra-cold quantum gases in microgravity in a sounding rocket. The experiment will create a BEC of 10(5) (87)Rb-atoms in less than 5 s and will demonstrate application of basic atom interferometer techniques over a flight time of 6 min. The hardware is specifically designed to match the requirements of a sounding rocket mission. Special attention is thereby spent on the appropriate magnetic shielding from varying magnetic fields during the rocket flight, since the experiment procedures are very sensitive to external magnetic fields. A three-layer magnetic shielding provides a high shielding effectiveness factor of at least 1000 for an undisturbed operation of the experiment. The design of this magnetic shielding, the magnetic properties, simulations, and tests of its suitability for a sounding rocket flight are presented in this article.
Extended free fall enables experiments with quantum gases unbiased by gravity. Apart from a 10m-fountain, we have access to various platforms comprising the Bremen drop- and gravi-tower, the Einstein Elevator, sounding rockets as well as NASA‘s cold atom laboratory (CAL) in orbit, all offering experiments with different durations and repetition rates. Atom chips turned out to successfully create Rubidium Bose-Einstein condensates on these platforms. Recently we have lowered the expansion energies of Bose-Einstein condensates to an unprecedented level corresponding to 38pK which makes them an excellent resource for interferometry. We exploit the latter to study delta-kick collimation as well to extend interferometry times in free fall. Atom chips also allow to investigate quantum mixtures in absence of bouyancy. For this purpose, we have been creating potassium 41 BECs by sympathetic cooling with rubidium. These experiments were continued to space by sounding rocket missions and the CAL. In future, the recently inaugurated Einstein elevator as well as gravitower will be important platforms to increase the experimental cycles to study quantum gas mixtures and high-precision interferometry as well as to test fundamental physics such as Einstein’s principle of equivalence and the nature of dark energy on ground in free fall.
Ultra-cold quantum gases in space promise to boost the sensitivity of matter-wave interferometers. Applications of the latter extend from fundamental physics over the use in navigation to interdisciplinary applications such as geodesy, e.g. satellite gravimetry [1, 2]. Exploiting quantum gases for high-precision interferometry places high demands on their control and manipulation. We take benefit of various microgravity platforms such as the Bremen drop tower [3], the Einstein elevator in Hannover [4], sounding rockets [5,6] and the international space station [7] to advance the necessary methods. The DLR-mission MAIUS-1 demonstrated Bose-Einstein condensation and performed first interferometry experiments [4]. NASA’s Cold Atom Laboratory continues this research in orbit on the ISS [7]. In addition, atom interferometry is pursued in highly dynamic environments such as parabolic flights [8]. Starting from a rubidium Bose-Einstein condensate, recently lowest expansion energies have been achieved by us in the Bremen drop tower as required for extending atom interferometry over several seconds [9]. Extending these methods to quantum mixtures not only opens up new physics in the absence of buoyancy, but also faces challenges regarding their use for interferometry. Interferometers based on two chemical elements have been proposed for quantum tests of the equivalence principle on the ISS as well as on satellites. Currently we prepare a sounding rocket mission to investigate the simultaneous generation and manipulation of potassium and rubidium condensates [10]. Together with CAL [7], these experiments will prepare the DLR-NASA multi-user facility BECCAL for research on quantum gas mixtures and interferometry [11] as well as enhance the readiness level of methods required for STE-QUEST [12], a proposal for a satellite mission currently studied in an modified version within ESA’s VOYAGE 2050 program [13].