$\Lambda$-Enhanced Gray Molasses Cooling of $^{85}$Rb Atoms in Tweezers Using the D$_2$ Line
Atomic Physics
2026-03-30 v1 Quantum Physics
Abstract
We demonstrate the implementation of -enhanced gray molasses cooling on the D line of Rb atoms in an optical tweezer array. This technique yields lower atomic temperatures of 4.0(2) K compared to red-detuned polarization gradient cooling, and consequently extends the coherence time of the hyperfine clock qubit by a factor of 1.5. The method is alignment-free and can be readily implemented on laser beams used for magneto-optical trapping, as it only requires frequency and phase modulation control. Our experimental observations are corroborated by a numerical model based on a semi-classical force approach extended to a four-level system, including two hyperfine states of the upper manifold that are 120 MHz apart.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2512.17653,
title = {$\Lambda$-Enhanced Gray Molasses Cooling of $^{85}$Rb Atoms in Tweezers Using the D$_2$ Line},
author = {Deon Janse van Rensburg and Rogier Venderbosch and Yuri van der Werf and Jesus del Pozo Mellado and Marijn Venderbosch and Rianne Lous and Edgar Vredenbregt and Servaas Kokkelmans},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2512.17653},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
10 pages, 6 figures