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Constructing a Magneto-Optical Trap for Cold Atom Trapping

Eric S. Muckley

Published Jan 1, 2009• 2 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

A magneto-optical trap, or MOT, is a device that traps atoms between three pairs of opposing perpendicular laser beams for cooling the atoms to temperatures near absolute zero. The MOT uses Doppler cooling and a magnetic quadrupole field to trap the atoms; in our case, Rb87 atoms. In the future, the MOT will be used in experiments pertaining to the advancement of quantum computing. In this paper, I explain some of the processes required for construction and operation of the MOT.

Related papers

Optimization of Transfer of Cold Atoms From TwoDimensional Magneto Optical Trap to ThreeDimensional Magneto Optical Trap

Tirumalasetty Panduranga Mahesh, Nobuyuki Takei Supervisors Dr. Kenji Ohmori, Ayan Banerjee

This thesis reports on the generation of MOT for laser cooling and trapping of Rubidium 87 atoms. Probe-pump technique have been used in Rb gas cell and doppler free absorption peaks has been observed. Peak at the crossover frequency will be locked for laser cooling and repump beams. This locked freuqency used in MOT to trap Rb atoms. The technique of optical molasses is used to cool the atoms and quadrupole magnetic field applied to confine or trap atoms at the center of MOT. Two chambers are constructed for 2D and 3D MOT with different pressure. Rb atoms loaded efficiently from the high flux cold atom beam generated in a compact 2D MOT. This is the first step of Bose Einstein Condensate (BEC). A performance of 2D MOT was tested by another main chamber of 3D MOT contains 3 pairs of counter-propagating beams. Over 5x10⁶ atoms trapped in a 3D MOT with loading rate of 1:8x10⁶ atoms/sec. This experiment provided an excellent starting point for future experiment on Rydberg atoms in dense ultracold quantum gases.

•Apr 1, 2018•0 citations

Construction of a Magneto-Optical Trap to Create Ultracold Rubidium Ensembles

Hayden Snauwaert

Ultracold atoms are a desirable substrate for experiments in quantum optics due to their highly coherent nature. Magneto-Optical Traps (MOTs) are a commonly used apparatus for producing clouds of cold, neutrally charged atoms such as Rubidium. The method relies on the effect of Doppler cooling, where laser light that has been detuned slightly below an atomic resonance results in a net cooling effect on the atoms, and magnetic trapping, where a linear magnetic field gradient results in a position dependent restoring force that traps the desired atoms at a central point. In the UVic AMO lab, we aim to build a MOT that is capable of producing ultracold rubidium clouds with temperatures on the order of 10μK.

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The L.H.A. 2D magneto-optical trap: on the way to a continuous beam of cold atoms

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A continuous beam of cold atoms is considered as an alternative to improve the performance of caesium frequency standards. A two-dimensional magneto-optical trap (2D MOT) is outlined. The assembling of three counter-propagating circularly polarised laser beams and of two magnetic field gradients along the horizontal axes leads to a transverse cooling and trapping, whereas in the vertical z-direction the atoms are only cooled and not trapped because of the zero magnetic field in this direction. In order to predict the characteristics of the beam of cold atoms, a simulation of the atomic trajectories was carried out by using a two-dimensional model of Doppler cooling and magneto-optical trapping. The velocity distribution of the atoms, which, due to the trapping and cooling process, enter the zone, where they are launched, is calculated.

European Frequency and Time Forum•Jan 1, 1996•0 citations

Construction of a Blue Neutral Cesium-133 Magneto-Optical Trap

Madison Whitmore

The magneto-optical trap (MOT) serves as the culmination of optical cooling and trapping, where by applying a linear magnetic field to orthogonal, circularly polarized, retroreflecting laser beams, one can produce a dense cloud of very cold atoms, on the order of μK. This work set out to create a magneto-optical trap using only visible light with the 6s 2S1/2 → 7p 2P◦ 3/2 transition of cesium-133, which is far weaker than the transition typically employed for a cesium-133 MOT. This transition alone has yet to be used in isolation to create a MOT, and the purpose of this work is to demonstrate the feasibility of such a MOT. While the creation of a MOT with the setup produced has thus far been unsuccessful, the components are in place for one to be made as a demonstration of optical cooling and trapping that should be visible to the naked eye. Additionally, an experimental setup was created for high precision measurements of the absolute energies of the 7p 2P◦ 1/2 and 7p 2P◦ 3/2 states. The theory behind the MOT and high precision spectroscopy is expounded upon within.

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Jo Rushton, Ritayan Roy, James Bateman +1 more

We describe a dynamic magneto-optical trap (MOT) suitable for the use with vacuum systems in which optical access is limited to a single window. This technique facilitates the long-standing desire of producing integrated atom chips, many of which are likely to have severely restricted optical access compared with conventional vacuum chambers. This 'switching-MOT' relies on the synchronized pulsing of optical and magnetic fields at audio frequencies. The trap's beam geometry is obtained using a planar mirror surface, and does not require a patterned substrate or bulky optics inside the vacuum chamber. Central to the design is a novel magnetic field geometry that requires no external quadrupole or bias coils which leads toward a very compact system. We have implemented the trap for 85 Rb and shown that it is capable of capturing 2 million atoms and directly cooling below the Doppler temperature.

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The Theory and Operation of Magneto- Optical and Far-Off-Resonance Traps

Mary Lyon

The advent of the magneto-optical trap (MOT) introduced to the field of atomic physics an unprecedented surge in research opportunities and the potential for widespread application in relating fields, such as those of quantum computation, quantum optics, laser physics, and plasma physics. The MOT makes use of a process called laser cooling, whereby atoms can be manipulated through the absorption and emission of photons, in conjunction with inhomogeneous magnetic fields, to cool atoms to kinetic temperatures as low as 200 µK and contain them in a region of space. This process has given researchers a remarkable level of control and has provided the means for extensive

•Jan 1, 2006•0 citations
A magneto-optical trap, or MOT, is a device that traps atoms between three pairs of opposing perpendicular laser beams for cooling the atoms to temperatures near absolute zero. The MOT uses Doppler cooling and a magnetic quadrupole field to trap the atoms; in our case, Rb87 atoms. In the future, the MOT will be used in experiments pertaining to the advancement of quantum computing. In this paper, I explain some of the processes required for construction and operation of the MOT.
This thesis reports on the generation of MOT for laser cooling and trapping of Rubidium 87 atoms. Probe-pump technique have been used in Rb gas cell and doppler free absorption peaks has been observed. Peak at the crossover frequency will be locked for laser cooling and repump beams. This locked freuqency used in MOT to trap Rb atoms. The technique of optical molasses is used to cool the atoms and quadrupole magnetic field applied to confine or trap atoms at the center of MOT. Two chambers are constructed for 2D and 3D MOT with different pressure. Rb atoms loaded efficiently from the high flux cold atom beam generated in a compact 2D MOT. This is the first step of Bose Einstein Condensate (BEC). A performance of 2D MOT was tested by another main chamber of 3D MOT contains 3 pairs of counter-propagating beams. Over 5x10⁶ atoms trapped in a 3D MOT with loading rate of 1:8x10⁶ atoms/sec. This experiment provided an excellent starting point for future experiment on Rydberg atoms in dense ultracold quantum gases.
Ultracold atoms are a desirable substrate for experiments in quantum optics due to their highly coherent nature. Magneto-Optical Traps (MOTs) are a commonly used apparatus for producing clouds of cold, neutrally charged atoms such as Rubidium. The method relies on the effect of Doppler cooling, where laser light that has been detuned slightly below an atomic resonance results in a net cooling effect on the atoms, and magnetic trapping, where a linear magnetic field gradient results in a position dependent restoring force that traps the desired atoms at a central point. In the UVic AMO lab, we aim to build a MOT that is capable of producing ultracold rubidium clouds with temperatures on the order of 10μK.
A continuous beam of cold atoms is considered as an alternative to improve the performance of caesium frequency standards. A two-dimensional magneto-optical trap (2D MOT) is outlined. The assembling of three counter-propagating circularly polarised laser beams and of two magnetic field gradients along the horizontal axes leads to a transverse cooling and trapping, whereas in the vertical z-direction the atoms are only cooled and not trapped because of the zero magnetic field in this direction. In order to predict the characteristics of the beam of cold atoms, a simulation of the atomic trajectories was carried out by using a two-dimensional model of Doppler cooling and magneto-optical trapping. The velocity distribution of the atoms, which, due to the trapping and cooling process, enter the zone, where they are launched, is calculated.
The magneto-optical trap (MOT) serves as the culmination of optical cooling and trapping, where by applying a linear magnetic field to orthogonal, circularly polarized, retroreflecting laser beams, one can produce a dense cloud of very cold atoms, on the order of μK. This work set out to create a magneto-optical trap using only visible light with the 6s 2S1/2 → 7p 2P◦ 3/2 transition of cesium-133, which is far weaker than the transition typically employed for a cesium-133 MOT. This transition alone has yet to be used in isolation to create a MOT, and the purpose of this work is to demonstrate the feasibility of such a MOT. While the creation of a MOT with the setup produced has thus far been unsuccessful, the components are in place for one to be made as a demonstration of optical cooling and trapping that should be visible to the naked eye. Additionally, an experimental setup was created for high precision measurements of the absolute energies of the 7p 2P◦ 1/2 and 7p 2P◦ 3/2 states. The theory behind the MOT and high precision spectroscopy is expounded upon within.
We describe a dynamic magneto-optical trap (MOT) suitable for the use with vacuum systems in which optical access is limited to a single window. This technique facilitates the long-standing desire of producing integrated atom chips, many of which are likely to have severely restricted optical access compared with conventional vacuum chambers. This 'switching-MOT' relies on the synchronized pulsing of optical and magnetic fields at audio frequencies. The trap's beam geometry is obtained using a planar mirror surface, and does not require a patterned substrate or bulky optics inside the vacuum chamber. Central to the design is a novel magnetic field geometry that requires no external quadrupole or bias coils which leads toward a very compact system. We have implemented the trap for 85 Rb and shown that it is capable of capturing 2 million atoms and directly cooling below the Doppler temperature.
The advent of the magneto-optical trap (MOT) introduced to the field of atomic physics an unprecedented surge in research opportunities and the potential for widespread application in relating fields, such as those of quantum computation, quantum optics, laser physics, and plasma physics. The MOT makes use of a process called laser cooling, whereby atoms can be manipulated through the absorption and emission of photons, in conjunction with inhomogeneous magnetic fields, to cool atoms to kinetic temperatures as low as 200 µK and contain them in a region of space. This process has given researchers a remarkable level of control and has provided the means for extensive