Crossed-beam slowing to enhance narrow-line ytterbium magneto-optic traps
Abstract
We demonstrate a method to enhance the atom loading rate of a ytterbium (Yb) magneto-optic trap (MOT) operating on the 556 nm 1S0 → 3P1 intercombination transition (narrow linewidth Γg = 2π × 182 kHz). Following traditional Zeeman slowing of an atomic beam near the 399 nm 1S0 → 1P1 transition (broad linewidth Γp = 2π × 29 MHz), two laser beams in a crossed-beam geometry, frequency tuned near the same transition, provide additional slowing immediately prior to the MOT. Using this technique, we observe an improvement by a factor of 6 in the atom loading rate of a narrow-line Yb MOT. The relative simplicity and generality of this approach make it readily adoptable to other experiments involving narrow-line MOTs. We also present a numerical simulation of this two-stage slowing process, which shows good agreement with the observed dependence on experimental parameters, and use it to assess potential improvements to the method.
- Publication:
-
Review of Scientific Instruments
- Pub Date:
- September 2020
- DOI:
- 10.1063/5.0011361
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2004.10298
- Bibcode:
- 2020RScI...91i3201P
- Keywords:
-
- Physics - Atomic Physics
- E-Print:
- Review of Scientific Instruments 91, 093201 (2020)