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arXiv:physics/0105009 · Optics Letters

Resonator-enhanced optical dipole trap for fermionic lithium atoms

Allard P. Mosk, Selim Jochim, Henning Moritz, Th. Elsässer, Matthias Weidemüller, Rudolf Grimm

Published Dec 1, 2001• 58 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We demonstrate a novel optical dipole trap that is based on enhancement of the optical power density of a Nd:YAG laser beam in a resonator. The trap is particularly suited for experiments with ultracold gases, as it combines a potential depth of the order of 1 mK with storage times of several tens of seconds. We study the interactions in a gas of fermionic lithium atoms in our trap and observe the influence of spin-changing collisions and off-resonant photon scattering. A key element in reaching long storage times is the use of an ultralow-noise laser. The dependence of storage time on laser noise is investigated.

DOI
10.1364/ol.26.001837

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Optical traps provide tight confinement and very long storage times for atomic gases. Using a single focused beam from a CO2 laser, we confine a mixture of spin-up and spin-down fermionic 6Li atoms, achieving storage times of ten minutes, and evaporative cooling to quantum degeneracy in seconds. A bias magnetic field tunes the gas to a collisional (Feshbach) resonance, producing extremely strong spin-pairing. This system now tests current many-body predictions for high-temperature superconductors, universal interactions in neutron stars, and hydrodynamic flow of quark-gluon plasmas, a state of matter that existed microseconds after the Big Bang.
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