Magnetic transport apparatus for the production of ultracold atomic gases in the vicinity of a dielectric surface

Händel, S.; Marchant, A.L.; Wiles, T.P.; Hopkins, S.A.; Cornish, S.L.

doi:10.1063/1.3676161

Magnetic transport apparatus for the production of ultracold atomic gases in the vicinity of a dielectric surface

Händel, S.; Marchant, A.L.; Wiles, T.P.; Hopkins, S.A.; Cornish, S.L.

Authors

S. Händel

A.L. Marchant

T.P. Wiles

S.A. Hopkins

Professor Simon Cornish s.l.cornish@durham.ac.uk
Professor

Abstract

We present an apparatus designed for studies of atom-surface interactions using quantum degenerate gases of 85Rb and 87Rb in the vicinity of a room temperature dielectric surface. The surface to be investigated is a super-polished face of a glass Dove prism mounted in a glass cell under ultra-high vacuum. To maintain excellent optical access to the region surrounding the surface, magnetic transport is used to deliver ultracold atoms from a separate vacuum chamber housing the magneto-optical trap (MOT). We present a detailed description of the vacuum apparatus highlighting the novel design features; a low profile MOT chamber and the inclusion of an obstacle in the transport path. We report the characterization and optimization of the magnetic transport around the obstacle, achieving transport efficiencies of 70% with negligible heating. Finally, we demonstrate the loading of a hybrid optical-magnetic trap with 87Rb and the creation of Bose-Einstein condensates via forced evaporative cooling close to the dielectric surface.

Citation

Händel, S., Marchant, A., Wiles, T., Hopkins, S., & Cornish, S. (2012). Magnetic transport apparatus for the production of ultracold atomic gases in the vicinity of a dielectric surface. Review of Scientific Instruments, 83(1), Article 013105. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3676161

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	Jan 1, 2012
Deposit Date	Jan 23, 2012
Publicly Available Date	Sep 13, 2012
Journal	Review of Scientific Instruments
Print ISSN	0034-6748
Electronic ISSN	1089-7623
Publisher	American Institute of Physics
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	83
Issue	1
Article Number	013105
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3676161

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Copyright Statement
© 2012 American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics. The following article appeared in Händel, S. and Marchant, A. L. and Wiles, T. P. and Hopkins, S. A. and Cornish, S. L. (2012) 'Magnetic transport apparatus for the production of ultracold atomic gases in the vicinity of a dielectric surface.', Review of scientific instruments., 83 (1). 013105 and may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3676161