Single-laser, one beam, tetrahedral magneto-optical trap
Abstract
We have realised a 4-beam pyramidal magneto-optical trap ideally suited for future microfabrication. Three mirrors split and steer a single incoming beam into a tripod of reflected beams, allowing trapping in the four-beam overlap volume. We discuss the influence of mirror angle on cooling and trapping, finding optimum efficiency in a tetrahedral configuration. We demonstrate the technique using an ex-vacuo mirror system to illustrate the previously inaccessible supra-plane pyramid MOT configuration. Unlike standard pyramidal MOTs both the pyramid apex and its mirror angle are non-critical and our MOT offers improved molasses free from atomic shadows in the laser beams. The MOT scheme naturally extends to a 2-beam refractive version with high optical access. For quantum gas experiments, the mirror system could also be used for a stable 3D tetrahedral optical lattice.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.0905.2897,
title = {Single-laser, one beam, tetrahedral magneto-optical trap},
author = {Matthieu Vangeleyn and Paul F. Griffin and Erling Riis and Aidan S. Arnold},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0905.2897},
year = {2010}
}
Comments
8 pages, 6 figures, 2 movies