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An experimental apparatus for the laser cooling of lithium and rubidium

University of British Columbia

We demonstrate a two species effusive source and Zeeman slower for lithium 6 and rubidium 85. The fluxes produced by this slower allow for magneto-optical trap loading rates in excess of 10⁸ atoms per second for both species. A detailed model is developed to predict the emission properties of the effusive source along with the flux of cold atoms produced by the slower. Novel to this design is the mating of Zeeman slower magnetic field to the field produced by trapping coils which increases the effective length over which atoms are slowed. This allows for a smaller, more compact slower, without a sacrifice in performance. Details relating to the design and performance of the vacuum system and magnetic field producing coils are also covered. The apparatus can be easily adapted to operate with different atomic species making it well suited for ultracold atomic physics experiments studying mixtures or as starting point for the creation of hetero-nuclear molecules.

Text

2014-10-28

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/50911

Physics

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/