Compact magneto-optical sources of slow atoms
Abstract
Three different configurations of compact magneto-optical sources of slow Rb atoms(LVIS, 2D(+)-MOT and 2D-MOT) were compared with each other at fixed geometry of cooling laser beams. A precise control of the intensity balances between the four separate transverse cooling laser beams provided a total continuous flux of cold atoms from the LVIS and 2D(+)-MOT sources about 8x10^9 atoms/s at total laser power of 60 mW. The flux was measured directly from the loading rate of a 3D-MOT, placed 34 cm downstream from the sources. Average velocities of the cooled atomic beam for the LVIS and 2D(+)-MOT sources were about 8.5 m/s and 11 m/s respectively. An essential advantage of the compact magneto-optical sources is that their background flux of thermal atoms is two to three orders of the magnitude smaller than the flux of slow atoms.
Cite
@article{arxiv.physics/0411249,
title = {Compact magneto-optical sources of slow atoms},
author = {Yuri B. Ovchinnikov},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:physics/0411249},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
12 pages, 10 figures. to be published in Optics Communications