Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy: Radiation and Light Sources

Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy: Radiation and Light Sources

Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) relies on the Beer-Lambert law, which requires that the radiation source emits a narrow range of wavelengths to match the absorption characteristics of the analyte atom. The primary criteria for choosing an appropriate radiation source in AAS is to provide a precise and intense emission at specific wavelengths that will allow accurate detection of the analyte.
Two common narrow-range 'line' sources used in AAS are hollow-cathode lamps (HCLs) and...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Observation of super-ballistic Brownian motion in liquid.

Science advances·2026

Same author

Monitoring damage of self-assembled monolayers using metastable excited helium atoms.

The Journal of chemical physics·2021

Same author

Brownian motion as a new probe of wettability.

The Journal of chemical physics·2017

Same author

Communication: Neutral atom imaging using a pulsed electromagnetic lens.

The Journal of chemical physics·2017

Same author

Multidimensional NMR inversion without Kronecker products: Multilinear inversion.

Journal of magnetic resonance (San Diego, Calif. : 1997)·2016

Same author

Broadband boundary effects on Brownian motion.

Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics·2016

Same journal

Denoising algorithm of Φ-OTDR systems based on adaptive fractional wavelet transform denoising.

Optics express·2026

Same journal

Millisecond photon-to-photon latency and high-speed volumetric projection system for optogenetics.

Optics express·2026

Same journal

Polarization-encoded coaxial structured light for high-precision 3D surface profilometry.

Optics express·2026

Same journal

Discrete freeform optical design based on collaborative optimization of point cloud and local normals.

Optics express·2026

Same journal

Ultrafast ghost imaging with 25 GHz speckle switching and wavelength-division multiplexing.

Optics express·2026

Same journal

Atomic vapor cells fabricated by femtosecond laser welding of standard-optical-quality glass.

Optics express·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 16, 2026

Characterizing Far-infrared Laser Emissions and the Measurement of Their Frequencies

Characterizing Far-infrared Laser Emissions and the Measurement of Their Frequencies

Published on: December 18, 2015

Atomic laser-beam finder.

Kirsten Viering¹, David Medellin, Jianyong Mo

¹Center for Nonlinear Dynamics and Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.

|November 29, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

We developed a sensitive experimental method using balanced lock-in detection to precisely align laser beams to atoms in a magneto-optical trap (MOT). This technique offers a reliable and rapid solution for laser-atom alignment in atomic physics experiments.

More Related Videos

An Experimental Protocol for Femtosecond NIR/UV - XUV Pump-Probe Experiments with Free-Electron Lasers

An Experimental Protocol for Femtosecond NIR/UV - XUV Pump-Probe Experiments with Free-Electron Lasers

Published on: October 23, 2018

A Technical Guide for Performing Spectroscopic Measurements on Metal-Organic Frameworks

A Technical Guide for Performing Spectroscopic Measurements on Metal-Organic Frameworks

Published on: April 28, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 16, 2026

Characterizing Far-infrared Laser Emissions and the Measurement of Their Frequencies

Characterizing Far-infrared Laser Emissions and the Measurement of Their Frequencies

Published on: December 18, 2015

An Experimental Protocol for Femtosecond NIR/UV - XUV Pump-Probe Experiments with Free-Electron Lasers

An Experimental Protocol for Femtosecond NIR/UV - XUV Pump-Probe Experiments with Free-Electron Lasers

Published on: October 23, 2018

A Technical Guide for Performing Spectroscopic Measurements on Metal-Organic Frameworks

A Technical Guide for Performing Spectroscopic Measurements on Metal-Organic Frameworks

Published on: April 28, 2023

Area of Science:

Atomic, Molecular, and Optical (AMO) Physics
Quantum Optics
Laser Spectroscopy

Background:

Magneto-optical traps (MOTs) are crucial for trapping and cooling neutral atoms.
Precise laser beam alignment is essential for efficient atom manipulation and interaction within MOTs.
Existing alignment methods can be time-consuming and lack sensitivity.

Purpose of the Study:

To present a novel experimental method for aligning laser beams to trapped atoms.
To demonstrate the sensitivity and reliability of the proposed alignment technique.
To provide a faster and more robust alignment solution for magneto-optical traps.

Main Methods:

Utilized balanced lock-in detection for sensitive signal processing.
Developed an experimental setup to align a laser beam to a cloud of atoms in a MOT.
Focused on alignment in the plane perpendicular to the laser beam's propagation direction.

Main Results:

Achieved highly sensitive detection of laser beam misalignment.
Demonstrated a reliable and fast method for aligning laser beams to MOTs.
The balanced lock-in detection technique proved effective for transverse alignment.

Conclusions:

The reported method offers a significant improvement in laser-atom alignment efficiency.
Balanced lock-in detection is a powerful tool for precise alignment in atomic physics.
This technique facilitates advanced experiments requiring accurate laser control in MOTs.