Related papers: Characteristics of unconventional Rb magneto-optic…
We present the properties and advantages of a new magneto-optical trap (MOT) where blue-detuned light drives `type-II' transitions that have dark ground states. Using $^{87}$Rb, we reach a radiation-pressure-limited density exceeding…
We exploit red- and blue-detuned magneto optical trapping (MOT) of $^{87}$Rb benefitting from a simplified setup based on liquid crystal variable retarders (LCVR). To maintain the trapping forces when switching from a red- to a blue-detuned…
A key method to produce trapped and laser-cooled molecules is the magneto-optical trap (MOT), which is conventionally created using light red-detuned from an optical transition. In this work, we report a MOT for CaF molecules created using…
Direct laser cooling of molecules has reached a phase space density exceeding 10$^{-6}$ in optical traps, but with rather small molecular numbers. To progress towards quantum degeneracy, a mechanism is needed that combines sub-Doppler…
In red-detuned magneto-optical traps (MOTs) of molecules, sub-Doppler heating competes with Doppler cooling, resulting in high temperature and low density. A solution is offered by the blue-detuned MOT where sub-Doppler cooling dominates…
We have constructed a magneto-optical trap (MOT) for metastable triplet helium atoms utilizing the 2 3S1 -> 3 3P2 line at 389 nm as the trapping and cooling transition. The far-red-detuned MOT (detuning Delta = -41 MHz) typically contains…
We report the realization of a blue-detuned magneto-optical trap (BDM) of BaF molecules. The (1 + 1) type BDM and (1 + 2) type conveyor-belt MOT are explored. While the (1+1) BDM provides only weak trapping force, the conveyor-belt MOT…
We report continuous loading of $^{\textrm{87}}$Rb atoms in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) at narrow linewidth, 420 nm 5S$_{1/2}$, F$=2\rightarrow$ 6P$_{3/2}$, F$=3$ blue transition (blue MOT). Continuous loading of the blue MOT is achieved…
Direct laser cooling and trapping of molecules to temperature below Doppler limit and density exceeding $10^8$ are challenging due to the sub-Doppler heating effects of molecular magneto-optical trap (MOT). In our previous paper [1], we…
Magneto-optical trap (MOT) at narrow (weak) transition offers lower temperature and hence is the key for production of high phase density atomic cloud and subsequently quantum degeneracy with high number of atoms for many elements. In this…
We present a magneto-optical trap (MOT) design based on millimeter ball lenses, contained within a metal cube of 0.75$^{\prime \prime}$ side length. We present evidence of trapping approximately $4.2\times 10^5$ of $^{85}$Rb atoms with a…
We report optical trapping of laser-cooled molecules at sufficient density to observe molecule-molecule collisions for the first time in a bulk gas. SrF molecules from a red-detuned magneto-optical trap (MOT) are compressed and cooled in a…
We trap and cool a gas composed of 40K and 87Rb, using a two-species magneto-optical trap (MOT). This trap represents the first step towards cooling the Bose-Fermi mixture to quantum degeneracy. Laser light for the MOT is derived from laser…
Recent experiments have demonstrated direct cooling and trapping of diatomic and triatomic molecules in magneto-optical traps (MOTs). However, even the best molecular MOTs to date still have density $10^{-5}$ times smaller than in typical…
We realize laser cooling and trapping of titanium (Ti) atoms in a mangeto-optical trap (MOT). While Ti does not possess a transition suitable for laser cooling out of its $\mathrm{3d^24s^2}$ $\mathrm{a^3F}$ ground term, there is such a…
We describe a three-dimensional (3D) magneto-optical trap (MOT) capable of simultaneously capturing 85Rb and 133Cs atoms. Unlike conventional setups, our system utilizes two separate laser systems that are combined before entering the…
We report a two-color magneto-optical trap (MOT) for ytterbium atoms operating at a low magnetic field gradient down to 2 G/cm where a conventional MOT using the singlet transition (6s^2 1S0 -> 6s6p 1P1) is unable to trap atoms. By…
Laser cooling is used to produce ultracold atoms and molecules for quantum science and precision measurement applications. Molecules are more challenging to cool than atoms due to their vibrational and rotational internal degrees of…
We present the properties of a magneto-optical trap (MOT) of CaF molecules. We study the process of loading the MOT from a decelerated buffer-gas-cooled beam, and how best to slow this molecular beam in order to capture the most molecules.…
We demonstrate a continuously loaded $^{88}\mathrm{Sr}$ magneto-optical trap (MOT) with a steady-state phase-space density of $1.3(2) \times 10^{-3}$. This is two orders of magnitude higher than reported in previous steady-state MOTs. Our…