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Joint Conference of the European Frequency and Time Forum and IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium (EFTF/IFCS)

Investigation of Conical Magneto-optical Trap as a Source of Slow Atoms

E. S. Aleinikova, E.V. Ivanchenko, D. S. Kupalov, O. V. Kupalova

Published May 15, 2023• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

SummaryOne of the key elements of atomic sensors is a cold-atom source. It should be relatively simple, controllable, robust and compact. Conical magneto-optical trap (MOT) can become a useful tool for such devices as an atomic fountain, a gravimeter. We have developed and investigated the conical magneto-optical trap as a source of slow atoms on the rubidium fountain.

DOI
10.1109/eftf/ifcs57587.2023.10272163

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The European Physical Journal Applied Physics•Apr 1, 2006•23 citations
SummaryOne of the key elements of atomic sensors is a cold-atom source. It should be relatively simple, controllable, robust and compact. Conical magneto-optical trap (MOT) can become a useful tool for such devices as an atomic fountain, a gravimeter. We have developed and investigated the conical magneto-optical trap as a source of slow atoms on the rubidium fountain.
Currently, the field of quantum frequency standards based on cold atoms is actively developing. Сold atoms underlie the creation of such quantum gravimetric sensors as atomic gravimeters, atomic gradiometers and atomic gyroscopes. One of the key elements of these sensors is the source of cold atoms, which must provide a sufficient flow of cooled atoms. This paper presents the development of a compact source of Rb87 atoms based on a conical magnetooptical trap, which significantly simplifies the optical scheme by replacing the multipath system with a single conical reflector. The developed compact source is used in fountain-type frequency standards. The scheme, principle of operation, design features and experimental characteristics of a source of slow atoms are given. The results of a study of the operating parameters of a source of slow atoms based on a conical magneto-optical trap and the characteristics of its output atomic beam are presented: the estimated number of trapped atoms in the conical region of the trap, the average atomic flow velocity, and the dependence of the characteristics of the output atomic beam on the operating parameters of the trap. These characteristics demonstrate the possibility of using a conical magneto-optical trap as a source of slow atoms in modern fountain-type frequency standards and other atomic sensors.
A three-dimensional magneto-optical trap (MOT), acting as an efficient method for producing cold atoms from room-temperature atomic vapor, has been widely used to develop atomic sensors. Various compact MOTs using a single laser beam have been reported, simplifying apparatuses and leading to miniaturized devices. Here, we propose single-beam MOTs based on back-to-back pyramidal and conical mirrors. In such back-to-back mirrors, a MOT trapping volume is formed by an incident laser beam, a retroreflected beam, and multiple reflections from the mirror surfaces. We present the design of back-to-back mirrors and a series of compact MOT configurations, with the potential of increasing access to the MOT and simultaneously creating multiple MOTs. We demonstrate a MOT in a back-to-back conical mirror, loading \ensuremath{\sim}1 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} 107{10}^{7}107 87Rb{}^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb atoms from background vapor and cooling the atoms to \ensuremath{\sim}7 \textmu{}K using polarization gradients. Single-beam MOTs based on back-to-back mirrors contribute to building compact and scalable cold-atom-based sensors.
We describe the design and performance of a slow atom source based on a 2D magneto-optical trap (MOT) that uses an innovative simple optical configuration. Metal-coated retro-reflecting prisms replace mirrors and quarter-wave plates so the optical power of the cooling laser beam is recycled. This source has been characterised for three different configurations: with and without transverse magnetic field gradient, and with a pusher beam to obtain a 2D+-MOT. The longitudinal velocity is of the order of 25 m·s−1, with a transverse velocity spread ≤1 m·s−1, while the typical atomic flux density obtained is up to 1.3×1014 at ·s−1·m−2 for a cesium vapour pressure of ~4×10−8 mbar in the source. We use this slow atom beam, instead of cesium vapour, to load a 3D moving optical molasses that feeds a continuous cold atom fountain. We obtain a gain of a factor ~20 in the atomic flux launched by the fountain.