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Chip-Scale Laser-Cooling Atoms based on Diffractive Optical Elements

Junyi Duan, Zhu Zhendong, Zhou Yadong, Xiaochi Liu, Ning Ru, QU Jifeng

Published Oct 18, 2021• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Cold-atom systems provide a nearly static measurement medium with almost no interaction between the atoms for quantum precision measurement processes, thereby avoiding the frequency shift and broadening existing in the working medium of hot atoms, making the measurement results more accurate. However, the atomic cooling part of current quantum precision measurement systems is bulky and complex, which is not conducive to miniaturization of distributable quantum measurement standard systems. In order to make a less complex magneto-optical trap system, we adopted the scheme to combine the diffraction grating chip and the atomic cooling technique. The wavefront of a single incident light was phase modulated through the linear grating, and the atoms were successfully trapped on a chip scale. The preparation of the core chip of a miniaturized magneto-optical trap and the realization of the magneto-optical trap system with a simple optical structure can lay a solid foundation for further miniaturization of the overall system of a magneto-optical trap in the future.

DOI
10.12338/j.issn.2096-9015.2020.9025

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Cold-atom systems provide a nearly static measurement medium with almost no interaction between the atoms for quantum precision measurement processes, thereby avoiding the frequency shift and broadening existing in the working medium of hot atoms, making the measurement results more accurate. However, the atomic cooling part of current quantum precision measurement systems is bulky and complex, which is not conducive to miniaturization of distributable quantum measurement standard systems. In order to make a less complex magneto-optical trap system, we adopted the scheme to combine the diffraction grating chip and the atomic cooling technique. The wavefront of a single incident light was phase modulated through the linear grating, and the atoms were successfully trapped on a chip scale. The preparation of the core chip of a miniaturized magneto-optical trap and the realization of the magneto-optical trap system with a simple optical structure can lay a solid foundation for further miniaturization of the overall system of a magneto-optical trap in the future.
Compared with the conventional three-dimensional magneto-optical trap (3D MOT), the grating magneto-optical trap (GMOT) enables the cooling and trapping of atoms with only a single beam of light, thereby significantly reducing the overall volume of the device. Here, a grating chip with high diffraction efficiency is designed, and its parameters are optimized through simulations, which effectively suppresses the power of the zero-order diffracted light. Subsequently, the grating chip is fabricated and characterized, and using this chip, we successfully trap 1.7×106 atoms. The temperatures of the atomic cloud in the axial and radial directions are 5.6 mK and 17.0 mK, respectively. The successful implementation of the atom cooling and trapping experiment based on the diffraction grating provides important reference for the miniaturization of cold atom-based quantum sensors.
Abstract Laser-cooled atoms are a key technology for many calibration-free measurement platforms—including clocks, gyroscopes, and gravimeters—and are a promising system for quantum networking and quantum computing. The optics and vacuum hardware required to prepare these gases are often bulky and not amenable to large-volume manufacturing, limiting the practical realization of devices benefiting from the properties of cold atoms. Planar, lithographically produced optics including photonic integrated circuits, optical metasurfaces (MSs), and gratings offer a pathway to develop chip-scale, manufacturable devices utilizing cold atoms. As a demonstration of this technology, we have realized laser cooling of atomic Rb in a grating-type magneto-optical trap (MOT) using planar optics for beam launching, beam shaping, and polarization control. Efficient use of available light is accomplished using MS-enabled beam shaping, and the performance of the planar optics MOT is competitive with Gaussian-beam illuminated grating MOTs.
Magneto-optical traps (MOTs), indispensable to cold-atom-based quantum computing and quantum precision measurement, are increasingly desired in compact and stable form. Particularly, the six-beam 3D-MOT, distinguished by symmetric geometry and superior trapping performance, finds particularly broad applications. Conventional implementations, however, rely on complex and bulky free-space optics, hindering miniaturization, practical assembly, and long-term stability. Here, we demonstrate a compact six-beam 3D-MOT system that employs two multifunctional optical metasurface chips to implement the optical-field functionalities required for cooling and trapping atoms. By combining two metasurface chips and a vacuum cell, a photonic-integrated cell module (PICM) is implemented as the core assembly and the volume is only" 73*73*107 mm^3" . In success, 1.3 * 10^3 Rb atoms are trapped and cooled to the temperature of ~183 μK. It should be noticed that the laser beam is guided to the metasurface through optical fiber, thus such fully fiber-coupled architecture enables straightforward and stable operations. We believe that this work would pave a practical route toward compact and portable 3D-MOT.
Cold atoms produced in magneto-optical traps (MOTs) have underpinned advances in emerging quantum technologies, including quantum computing, precision metrology, and fundamental physics. Grating-based MOT (gMOT), which employs a reflective diffraction grating to enable laser cooling from a single incident beam, offers a compact alternative to conventional six-beam MOTs. However, the inherent asymmetry of gMOT beam geometry can compromise the trapping stability and efficiency, particularly for atomic species with complex internal level structures. Here, we present a geometric-phase dielectric metasurface that simultaneously engineers the transmitted and diffracted wavefronts with desired polarization states, enabling full MOT operation under axial illumination using a single planar optical element. This metasurface-based architecture restores the symmetry in the trapping forces while preserving the compactness and simplicity of gMOTs. Using this approach, we demonstrate the trapping and cooling of cesium─an atomic species widely regarded as challenging for standard gMOT implementations─and analyze the trapping mechanism through numerical calculations. By providing independent control over key trapping parameters within a planar and alignment-simplified platform, this work establishes a route toward compact, robust, and species-flexible cold-atom systems, thereby expanding the applicability of miniaturized MOTs for integrated quantum technologies.
We have made magneto-optical traps (MOTs) on a chip which is able to cool and trap ~108atoms directly from a ~1cm3thermal background of87Rb. Diffraction gratings are used to manipulate the light from a single input beam to create the beams required for a MOT [1,2]. The gratings are etched into the surface of a silicon or GaAs wafer by either electron beam, or photo-lithography making them simple to fabricate and integrate into other atom chip architectures. We have developed a variety of gratings for utilisation both inside and outside a vacuum chamber - facilitating their incorporation into both new and existing devices. Unlike previously integrated cold atom sources on a chip [3,4] the atoms now sit above the surface where they can be easily imaged, manipulated and transferred into other on-chip potentials.