Dual Magneto-Optical Trap of Sodium Atoms in Ground Hyperfine F=1 and F=2 States
Hideki Tanaka, Hiromitsu Imai, Katsuki Furuta +5 more
Sodium atoms were trapped in a dual-operation magneto-optical trap using laser light whose frequency was tuned at 18 MHz to the red of the F =2 to F '=3 transition and laser light whose frequency was tuned at 11 MHz to the red of the F =1 to F '=0 transition. The number of trapped atoms increased to 1.2 × 10 10 atoms, which is a sufficient number for producing the Bose–Einstein condensation of a dilute sodium gas. The mechanism for trapping atoms in the F =1 state is discussed.
Japanese Journal of Applied Physics•May 18, 2007•22 citations