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Cold Atom Source Containing Multiple Magneto-Optical Traps

Jaime Ramirez-Serrano, James M. Kohel, James R. Kellogg, Lawrence Lim, Nan Yu, Lute Maleki

Published Oct 1, 2007• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

An apparatus that serves as a source of a cold beam of atoms contains multiple two-dimensional (2D) magneto-optical traps (MOTs). (Cold beams of atoms are used in atomic clocks and in diverse scientific experiments and applications.) The multiple-2D-MOT design of this cold atom source stands in contrast to single-2D-MOT designs of prior cold atom sources of the same type. The advantages afforded by the present design are that this apparatus is smaller than prior designs.

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Journal of Physics Conference Series•Nov 5, 2012•0 citations
An apparatus that serves as a source of a cold beam of atoms contains multiple two-dimensional (2D) magneto-optical traps (MOTs). (Cold beams of atoms are used in atomic clocks and in diverse scientific experiments and applications.) The multiple-2D-MOT design of this cold atom source stands in contrast to single-2D-MOT designs of prior cold atom sources of the same type. The advantages afforded by the present design are that this apparatus is smaller than prior designs.
A compact cold atom beam source based on a multistage two-dimensional magneto-optical trap (MOT) has been demonstrated and characterized. The multiple-stage design greatly reduces the overall size of the source apparatus while providing a high flux of atoms. The cold atom beam was used to load a separate MOT in ultrahigh vacuum, and we obtained an actual trap loading rate of 1.5 x 109 atoms/s while using only 20 mW of total laser power for the source. The entire source apparatus, including optics, can fit into a 4 cm x 4 cm x 13 cm volume.
A beam source is proposed for the production of an intense cold cesium atomic beam that can be used in cesium beam atomic clocks. The source is based on a two-dimensional magneto-optical trap (2D-MOT), but introduces hollow cooling and pushing lights in the axial direction to create a 2D+-MOT, which separates the cooling and pushing functions while the low-power pushing light pushes atoms out to form a cold atomic beam. This cold cesium atomic beam source reduces the light shift due to leakage light and retains longitudinal cooling to increase the flux of the cold atomic beam compared with that of the conventional 2D+-MOT scheme. The specifics of the design are investigated, the atomic velocity and beam flux are calculated, and the results are experimentally verified. The results demonstrate that when the power of the pushing light is 180 µW and when its frequency resonates with the 4 → 5′ transition of the Cs D2 line, the most probable longitudinal velocity of the outgoing cold atomic beam, the width of velocity distribution, and the atomic beam flux are 19.38 m/s, 8.1 m/s, and 1.7 × 1010 atoms/s, respectively.
A cold atom source is important for quantum metrology and precision measurement. To reduce the quantum projection noise limit in optical lattice clock, one can increase the number of cold atoms and reduce the dead time by enhancing the loading rate. In this work, we realize an enhanced cold mercury atom source based on a two-dimensional (2D) magneto-optical trap (MOT). The vacuum system is composed of two titanium chambers connected with a differential pumping tube. Two stable cooling laser systems are adopted for the 2D-MOT and the three-dimensional (3D)-MOT, respectively. Using an optimized 2D-MOT and push beam, about 1.3×106 atoms, which are almost an order of magnitude higher than using a pure 3D-MOT, are loaded into the 3D-MOT for 202Hg atoms. This enhanced cold mercury atom source is helpful in increasing the frequency stability of a neutral mercury lattice clock.
Abstract The atom source is a relevant component in many atomic molecular optics experiments. The compactness and efficiency of the source are fundamental issues, acquiring more importance as the complexity of the experiments increases. Characterizing new techniques to produce high atom flux is necessary to know the efficiency and peculiarities of each one. This allows choosing the most suitable source for a specific experiment. In this work, we show a direct comparison between a two-dimensional magneto-optical trap (2D-MOT) and a Zeeman slower (ZS) as source of cold sodium atoms to load a standard three-dimensional magneto-optical trap. The optimum parameters for each case are obtained by observing the loading rate and the final number of atoms in the 3D-MOT. We conclude that the 2D-MOT provides a high flux of atoms comparable with that produced by the ZS, but with an enormous advantage with respect to the size of the apparatus.
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.