Simultaneous Magneto-Optical Trapping of Fermionic ^40K and Bosonic ^87Rb Atoms

We report on simultaneous magneto-optical trapping of fermionic ^40K and bosonic 87Rb atoms. This trap is the first step towards quantum degenerate fermi gas ^40K. Laser lights for the two-species magneto-optical trap （MOT） are generated from diode lasers and tapered amplifier. The enriched ^40K dispenser is utilized in the experimental setup. We obtain up to 10^7 -10^8 ^40K and 10^8 -10^9 ^87Rb atoms respectively in the steady-state single-species MOT.     

Quantum Degenerate Fermi--Bose Mixtures of 40K and 87Rb Atoms in a Quadrupole-Ioffe Configuration Trap

We report on the attainment of quantum degeneracy of 40^K by means of efficient thermal collisions with the evaporatively cooled 87^Rb atoms. In a quadrupole-Ioffe configuration trap, potassium atoms axe cooled to 0.5 times the Fermi temperature. We obtain up to 7.59 × 10^5 degenerate fermions 40^K.     

Enhancement of Transfer Efficiency of Cold Atoms Using an Optical Guiding Laser Beam

We transfer cold ^87 Rb atoms from a vapour cell chamber to a spatially separated UHV magneto-optical trap （MOT） with the assistance of a red-detuned optical guiding beam and a normal push beam. Efficient optical guiding of the cold atoms is observed within a small detuning window. A pulsed optical guiding beam enhances the transfer efficiency and hence allows us to collect more atoms in UHV MOT in a shorter time, which is favourable for our experiment of achieving Bose-Einstein condensates （BEC）. Besides the easy operation, another advantage of this optical guiding technique is also demonstrated such that slower atomic beams may be efficiently transferred along horizontal direction. This study is a direct application of the optical guiding technique as a powerful tool.     

A Zeeman slower based on magnetic dipoles

A transverse Zeeman slower composed of an array of compact discrete neodymium magnets is considered. A simple and precise model of such a slower based on magnetic dipoles is developed. The theory of a general Zeeman slower is modified to include spatial nonuniformity of the slowing laser beam intensity due to its convergence and absorption by slowed atoms. The slower needs no high currents or water cooling and the spatial distribution of its magnetic field can be adjusted. In addition the slower provides a possibility to cool the slowed atoms transversally along the whole length of the slower. Such a slower would be ideal for transportable optical atomic clocks and their future applications in space physics.     

Manipulation of cold atoms by an adaptable magnetic reflector

Adaptive optics for cold atoms has been experimentally realized by applying a bias magnetic field to a static magnetic mirror. The mirror consist of a 12-mm-diameter piece of commercial videotape, having a sine wave of wavelength 25.4 μm recorded in a single track across its width, curved to form a concave reflector with radius of curvature R=54 mm. We have studied the performance of the mirror by monitoring the evolution of a 24 μK cloud of ⁸⁵Rb atoms bouncing on it. A uniform static external magnetic field was added to the mirror field causing a corrugated potential from which the atoms bounce with increased angular spread. The characteristic angular distribution of the surface normal is mapped at the peak of the bounce for atoms dropped from a height of R/2 and at the peak of the second bounce for a drop height of R/4. In a second experiment a time-dependent magnetic field was applied and the angular distribution of the cloud was measured as a function of field frequency. In this scheme we demonstrate a corrugated potential whose time-dependent magnitude behaves like a diffraction grating of variable depth. Finally a rotating field was added to generate a corrugated potential that moves with a velocity given by the product of the external field rotation frequency and the videotape wavelength. This travelling grating provides a new method of manipulation as cold atoms are transported across the surface by surfing along the moving wave. Two theoretical methods have been developed to predict the behaviour of atoms reflecting from these stationary, variable magnitude and moving corrugated potentials. A simple analytic theory provides excellent agreement for reflection from a stationary corrugated potential and gives good agreement when extended to the case of a travelling grating. A Monte Carlo simulation was also performed by brute force numeric integration of the equations of motion for atoms reflecting from all three corrugated potential cases. Received: 1 December 1999 / Revised version: 3 February 2000 / Published online: 5 April 2000     

Magneto-optical trap and mass-separator system for the ultra-sensitive detection of <Superscript>135</Superscript>Cs and <Superscript>137</Superscript>Cs

We report the first magneto-optical trapping of radioactive ¹³⁵Cs and ¹³⁷Cs and a promising means for detecting these isotopes at ultra-sensitive levels by coupling a magneto-optical trap (MOT) to a mass separator. A sample containing both isotopes was placed in the source of a mass separator, ionized, mass-separated, and implanted in a Zr foil within the trapping cell. After implantation, atoms were released from the foil by inductive heating and then captured in a MOT that used large-diameter beams and a dry-film-coated cell to achieve high trapping efficiency. Trapped-atom numbers in the case of either isotope ranged from 10⁴ to 10⁷, as determined from the MOT fluorescence signal. Over this trapped-atom range, the MOT fluorescence signal was found to increase linearly with the number of atoms implanted in the foil and without isotopic bias to within 4%. In principle, this method can then provide a measurement of the ¹³⁷Cs/¹³⁵Cs ratio accurate to within 4% through the direct ratio of MOT fluorescence signals. The fluorescence signal from stable ¹³³Cs, when implanted and released from the foil, was suppressed relative to MOT signals by more than seven orders of magnitude when the system was tuned to trap ¹³⁵Cs or ¹³⁷Cs. When combined with the isotopic selectivity of ≥10⁵ for the mass separator, the overall suppression of ¹³³Cs is expected to exceed 10¹². At present our system delivers atoms from sample to MOT with an efficiency of 0.5%, has a trapped-atom detection limit of 4000 atoms, and achieves a sample-detection sensitivity of one million atoms. Received: 23 August 2002 / Published online: 8 January 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +1-505/667-0440, E-mail: mdd@lanl.gov     

Experimental Improvement of Signal of a Single Laser-Cooled Trapped ^40Ca^＋ Ion

A single ^40Ca^＋ ion is loaded in a miniature Paul trap and the probability of directly loading a single ion is above 50%. The signal-to-noise ratio and the storage time for a single ion have been improved by minimizing the ion micromotion and locking a 397nm cooling laser to a Fabry-Perot interferometer and optogalvanic signal. From the fluorescence spectrum, the ion temperature is estimated to be about 5mK.     

Optical traps for quantum gases

Received: 19 June 1998     

Nuclear -K Bound States in 4He and 3He

We construct a phenomenologica/KN interaction which reproduces the two resonances： the energy of the first resonance is 1420MeV and the other is 1392MeV. The A（1405） is found by a superposition of the two reso- nances with appropriate weights. Within the framework of the Brueckner-Hartree-Fock theory, we have studied K- - 3He（T = 0） and K- - 4He（T = 1/2）. The binding energy BK- is 93MeV（72MeV） and the width F is 13 MeV（25 MeV） for K- - 3He（T =0） （ K- - 4He（T = 1/2））.     

A Single-Layer Magnetic Atom Chip for Trapping an Array of Bose-Einstein Condensate

We propose a simple single-layer magnetic microtrap configuration which can trap an array of magneticallytrapped Bose-Einstein condensate. The configuration consists of two series of parallel wires perpendicular to each other and all of the crossing points are cut off for maintaining the uniformity of the current. We analyse the trapping potential, the position of trapping centres and the uniformity of the array of the traps. The trapping depth and trapping frequency with different parameters are also calculated. Lastly, the effect of the cut-off crossing points, dissipate power, chip production are introduced concisely.     

Monte Carlo Simulation of Cooling Induced by Parametric Resonance

We demonstrate that the parametric resonance in a magnetic quadrupole trap can be exploited to cool atoms by using Bird＇s method. In our programme the parametric resonance was realized by anisotropically modulating the trap potential. The modulation frequency dependences of temperature and fraction of the trapped atoms are explored. Furthermore, the temperature after the modulation as functions of the modulation amplitude and the mean elastic collision time are also studied. These results are valuable for the experiment of parametric resonance in a quadrupole trap.     

Adiabatic Passage Based on the Calcium Active Optical Clock

We propose a new application of the optical adiabatic passage effect for the excitation of a thermal atomic beam, which will be used in the calcium active optical clock to produce population inversion. A comparison between the optical adiabatic passage effect and the Rabi π pulse is investigated, 99% of the calcium atoms in the atomic beam that has a wide velocity distribution will be excited to the upper state for population inversion using the adiabatic passage, while 76% at most will be excited to the excited state using the π pulse with suitable parameters.     

Directly Trapping Atoms in a U-Shaped Magneto-Optical Trap Using a Mini Atom Chip

We experimentally demonstrate the trapping of ^85Rb atoms directly on a chip-size U-shaped magneto-optical trap （U-MOT）. The trap includes a U-shaped wire on the chip, two bias magnetic field coils and laser beams. The capture volume of the U-MOT is theoretically calculated, and the trap is experimentally realized. With 2 A current applied to the U-shaped wire and 2-Gauss horizontal bias field, more than 2 × 10^6 atoms are trapped. In contrast with an ordinary mirror-MOT, this U-MOT captures atoms directly from the background, thus the trap size is greatly reduced. Based on this mini trap scheme, it is possible to realize a chip-size atom trap array for quantum information processing.     

Kinetic Energy of Trapped Ions Cooled by Buffer Gas

The average kinetic energy of 40 Ca＋ ions is measured by the method of evaporating ions in an rf ion trap. The kinetic energy of the ion 40Ca＋ varies from 0.5eV to 0.2eV with changing buffer gas pressure from 10^-7 mbar to 10^-5 mbar. The Brownian motion model is also introduced to calculate the average kinetic energy of the trapped ions.     

Guiding Neutral Atoms with Two Current-Carrying Wires and a Vertical Bias Field on the Atom Chip

We demonstrate the guiding of neutral atoms with two parallel microfabricated current-carrying wires on the atom chip and a vertical magnetic bias field. The atoms are guided along a magnetic field minimum parallel to the current-carrying wires and confined in the other two directions. We describe in detail how the precooled atoms are efficiently loaded into the two-wire guide. We present a detailed experimental study of the motional properties of the atoms in the guide and the relationship between the location of the guide and the vertical bias field. This two-wire guide with vertical bias field can be used to realize large area atom interferometer.     

Longitudinal Stern-Gerlach effect for slow cesium atoms

The mechanical Stern-Gerlach effect is investigated in the case of a slow atomic cloud falling through an inhomogeneous magnetic field featuring a strong longitudinal gradient. The resulting Zeeman sublevel state selection is demonstrated under various experimental conditions. Longitudinal spatial separations are in agreement with numerical simulations that take into account the gravitational acceleration and both the transverse and axial magnetic forces. Since separations greater than 20 cm are obtained, potential applications in atom optics are outlined. Received: 16 February 1998 / Received in final form: 1 April 1998 / Accepted: 6 April 1998     

Velocity spectrometer for a neutral atomic beam

A velocity spectrometer for a neutral atomic beam has been developed to prepare a monovelocity atomic beam. In order to disperse a relatively fast atomic beam according to its longitudinal velocity, a magnetic quadrupole lens with a large magnetic gradient has been used. The device was made using NdFeB permanent magnets. The magnetic gradient in the quadrupole was measured to be sufficiently large (1 T/cm) and uniform along the radial direction. The resonance fluorescence spectra of the Li atomic beam after passing through the magnetic quadrupole lens have been measured by using a single-mode tunable laser. From the peak shift of the fluorescence spectrum, the exerted force on Li atoms by the magnetic lens was 8160 times as large as the acceleration of gravity. Using the present spectrometer, we have measured the longitudinal velocity distribution of the thermal Li beam at 800 °C, which was in good agreement with the result from the fluorescence spectra. It is expected that a monovelocity Li atomic beam of 1000 m/s with a velocity spread narrower than 1% can be easily formed with a compact experimental arrangement using the developed velocity spectrometer. In this case, the available flux given as a fraction of the incident Li flux is estimated to be about 1%. A high-velocity resolution of 0.03% is expected at the available fractional flux of about 0.01%. Received: 5 June 2000 / Revised version: 14 August 2000 / Published online: 8 November 2000     

Examining the Chiral Geometry in l04Rh and l06Rh

The criteria for chiral doublet bands based on one particle and one hole coupled to a triaxial rotor have been summarized. Two representative cases in A - 100 odd-odd nuclei, nearly degenerate △I = 1 doublet bands in 104Rh and 106Rh, are checked against these chiral criteria. It is shown that 106Rh possesses better chiral geometry than 104Rh, although the energy near degeneracy is achieved in 104Rh in comparison with the constant energy separation of doublet bands in 106Rh.     

Reflection of cold atoms from an array of current-carrying wires

We report the realization of a new type of magnetostatic mirror for slowly moving atoms which comprises a planar array of parallel wires alternately carrying electric current in opposite directions. One of the features of this atomic mirror is that the magnetic field may be readily varied, switched or modulated by altering the current in the wires. Reflection signals close to 100% at a pulsed current of 3 A are demonstrated for a beam of free-falling laser-cooled cesium atoms at normal incidence. The current dependence of the reflection signals exhibits structure which is associated with the sequential onset of reflection of cesium 6² S _1/2 , F=4 atoms in the m=+4, +3, +2 and +1 magnetic states. Measurements of the spatial distribution of the reflected atoms indicate the reflection is predominantly specular at currents of 3 A. Received: 31 August 1998 / Accepted: 6 October 1998     

Microchip traps and Bose–Einstein condensation

The article gives an overview of the rapidly evolving field of magnetic microchip traps (also called ‘atom chips’) for neutral atoms. Special attention is given to Bose–Einstein condensation in such traps, to the particular properties of microchip trap potentials, and to practical considerations in their design. Scaling laws are developed, which lead to an estimate of the ultimate confinement that chip traps can provide. Future applications such as integrated atom interferometers are discussed. Received: 28 March 2002 / Published online: 14 May 2002