Compact structures for single-beam magneto-optical trapping of ytterbium

Area of Science:

• Atomic physics
• Quantum optics
• Metrology

Background:

• Optical lattice clocks achieve high precision using trapped alkaline-earth-like atoms (e.g., ytterbium, strontium).
• Mobile and space-borne clocks require compact laser-cooling and trapping systems with lower laser power demands.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present novel compact achromatic mirror structures for single-beam magneto-optical trapping of alkaline-earth-like atoms.
• To compare the performance of a monolithic aluminum structure with a quasi-planar platform for trapping and cooling Ytterbium isotopes.

Main Methods:

• Design and implementation of two compact achromatic mirror structures for magneto-optical trapping.
• Utilizing two widely separated optical cooling frequencies for trapping alkaline-earth-like atoms.
• Comparative analysis of trapping and cooling efficiency for different Ytterbium isotopes using conventional and quasi-planar trap geometries.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated successful two-stage cooling and trapping of a fermionic alkaline-earth-like isotope.
• The quasi-planar platform showed comparable or improved trapping and cooling performance.
• Enabled trapping of fermionic isotopes in a single-beam quasi-planar structure, unlike prior work with bosonic isotopes.

Conclusions:

• The developed compact mirror structures are effective for laser-cooling and trapping alkaline-earth-like atoms.
• These structures offer a promising path towards miniaturized optical lattice clocks.
• The quasi-planar platform represents a significant advancement for trapping fermionic isotopes in compact systems.