A robust, high-flux source of laser-cooled ytterbium atoms

authored by: Etienne Wodey, Robert Jan Rengelink, Christian Meiners, Ernst Maria Rasel, Dennis Schlippert
Abstract: We present a high-flux source of cold ytterbium atoms that is robust, lightweight and low-maintenance. Our apparatus delivers 1 × 10⁹ atoms s⁻¹ into a 3D magneto-optical trap without requiring water cooling or high current power supplies. We achieve this by employing a Zeeman slower and a 2D magneto-optical trap fully based on permanent magnets in Halbach configurations. This strategy minimizes mechanical complexity, stray magnetic fields, and heat production while requiring little to no maintenance, making it applicable to both embedded systems that seek to minimize electrical power consumption, and large scale experiments to reduce the complexity of their subsystems.
Organisation(s): Institute of Quantum Optics
QuantumFrontiers
CRC 1227 Designed Quantum States of Matter (DQ-mat)
Type: Article
Journal: Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
Volume: 54
ISSN: 0953-4075
Publication date: 09.02.2021
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics, Condensed Matter Physics
Electronic version(s): http://arxiv.org/pdf/2008.07498 (Access: Open)
https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6455/abd2d1 (Access: Open)

BibTeX

@article{25ee89a6dfbf4a25945c5d2b23f7cb8a,
title = "A robust, high-flux source of laser-cooled ytterbium atoms",
abstract = "We present a high-flux source of cold ytterbium atoms that is robust, lightweight and low-maintenance. Our apparatus delivers 1 × 109 atoms s−1 into a 3D magneto-optical trap without requiring water cooling or high current power supplies. We achieve this by employing a Zeeman slower and a 2D magneto-optical trap fully based on permanent magnets in Halbach configurations. This strategy minimizes mechanical complexity, stray magnetic fields, and heat production while requiring little to no maintenance, making it applicable to both embedded systems that seek to minimize electrical power consumption, and large scale experiments to reduce the complexity of their subsystems.",
keywords = "Atom cooling and trapping, Atomic beams, Zeeman slowing",
author = "Etienne Wodey and Rengelink, {Robert Jan} and Christian Meiners and Rasel, {Ernst Maria} and Dennis Schlippert",
note = "Funding Information: The authors thank M Robert-de-Saint-Vincent for insightful discussions on the microchannel nozzle and in-vacuum mirrors, A Billon for early work on the microchannel nozzle, and D Tell for careful proof-reading of the manuscript. We are grateful to C Schubert, D Tell, and K Zipfel for their contri- butions and W Ertmer for his vision and long-lasting support towards very long baseline atom interferometry in Hannover. This work is part of the Hannover very long baseline atom interferometry facility, a major research equipment funded by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungs-gemeinschaft, DFG). We acknowledge support by the Collaborative Research Centers 1128 {\textquoteleft}geo-Q{\textquoteright} and 1227 {\textquoteleft}DQ-mat{\textquoteright}, and Germany{\textquoteright}s Excellence Strategy within EXC-2123 {\textquoteleft}QuantumFrontiers{\textquoteright} (Project No. 390837967). DS acknowledges funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) through the funding program Photonics Research Germany (Contract No. 13N14875). EW acknowledges support from {\textquoteleft}Nieders{\textquoteright}{\'a}chsisches Vorab{\textquoteright} through the {\textquoteleft}Quantum-and Nano-Metrology (QUANOMET){\textquoteright} initiative (project No. QT3). ",
year = "2021",
month = feb,
day = "9",
doi = "10.1088/1361-6455/abd2d1",
language = "English",
volume = "54",
journal = "Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics",
issn = "0953-4075",
publisher = "IOP Publishing Ltd.",
number = "3",
}