Realization of a high power optical trapping setup free from thermal lensing effects
Quantum Gases
2019-10-23 v1 Atomic Physics
Optics
Abstract
Transmission of high power laser beams through partially absorbing materials modifies the light propagation via a thermally-induced effect known as thermal lensing. This may cause changes in the beam waist position and degrade the beam quality. Here we characterize the effect of thermal lensing associated with the different elements typically employed in an optical trapping setup for cold atoms experiments. We find that the only relevant thermal lens is represented by the crystal of the acousto-optic modulator exploited to adjust the laser power on the atomic sample. We then devise a simple and totally passive scheme that enables to realize an inexpensive optical trapping apparatus essentially free from thermal lensing effects.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1904.01965,
title = {Realization of a high power optical trapping setup free from thermal lensing effects},
author = {Cristiano Simonelli and Elettra Neri and Alessio Ciamei and Irene Goti and Massimo Inguscio and Andreas Trenkwalder and Matteo Zaccanti},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1904.01965},
year = {2019}
}