Red- and blue-detuned magneto-optical trapping with liquid crystal variable retarders

authored by: B. Piest, V. Vollenkemper, J. Böhm, A. Herbst, E. M. Rasel
Abstract: We exploit red- and blue-detuned magneto-optical trapping (MOT) of 87Rb benefitting from a simplified setup and a novel approach based on liquid crystal variable retarders (LCVR). To maintain the trapping forces when switching from a red- to a blue-detuned MOT, the handedness of the circular polarization of the cooling beams needs to be reversed. LCVRs allow fast polarization control and represent compact, simple, and cost-efficient components, which can easily be implemented in existing laser systems. This way, we achieve a blue-detuned type-II MOT for 8.7 × 108 atoms of 87Rb with sub-Doppler temperatures of 44 μK well below the temperatures reached in a conventional 87Rb type-I MOT. The phase space density is increased by more than two orders of magnitude compared to the standard red-detuned type-I MOT. The setup can readily be transferred to any other systems working with 87Rb.
Organisation(s): Institute of Quantum Optics
Quantum Sensing
QuantumFrontiers
Type: Article
Journal: Review of scientific instruments
Volume: 93
ISSN: 0034-6748
Publication date: 02.02.2022
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Instrumentation
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0071619 (Access: Open)

BibTeX

@article{31ae23013ccc42c59c14025d5f028564,
title = "Red- and blue-detuned magneto-optical trapping with liquid crystal variable retarders",
abstract = "We exploit red- and blue-detuned magneto-optical trapping (MOT) of 87Rb benefitting from a simplified setup and a novel approach based on liquid crystal variable retarders (LCVR). To maintain the trapping forces when switching from a red- to a blue-detuned MOT, the handedness of the circular polarization of the cooling beams needs to be reversed. LCVRs allow fast polarization control and represent compact, simple, and cost-efficient components, which can easily be implemented in existing laser systems. This way, we achieve a blue-detuned type-II MOT for 8.7 × 108 atoms of 87Rb with sub-Doppler temperatures of 44 μK well below the temperatures reached in a conventional 87Rb type-I MOT. The phase space density is increased by more than two orders of magnitude compared to the standard red-detuned type-I MOT. The setup can readily be transferred to any other systems working with 87Rb.",
author = "B. Piest and V. Vollenkemper and J. B{\"o}hm and A. Herbst and Rasel, {E. M.}",
note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by the DLR Space Administration with funds provided by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) under Grant No. DLR 50WP1431 and was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany{\textquoteright}s Excellence Strategy—EXC-2123 QuantumFrontiers—390837967.",
year = "2022",
month = feb,
day = "2",
doi = "10.1063/5.0071619",
language = "English",
volume = "93",
journal = "Review of scientific instruments",
issn = "0034-6748",
publisher = "American Institute of Physics",
number = "2",
}