Apparatus for producing single strontium atoms in an optical tweezer array

Abstract

Abstract We outline an experimental setup for efficiently preparing a tweezer array of $^{88}$Sr atoms. Our setup uses permanent magnets to maintain a steady-state two-dimensional magneto-optical trap (MOT) which results in a loading rate of up to $10^{8}$ s$^{-1}$ at 5 mK for the three-dimensional blue MOT. This enables us to trap $2\times10^{6}$ $^{88}$Sr atoms at 2 $\mu$K in a narrow-line red MOT with the $^{1}$S$_{0}$ $\rightarrow$ $^{3}$P$_{1}$ intercombination transition at 689 nm. With the Sisyphus cooling and pairwise loss processes, single atoms are trapped and imaged in 813 nm optical tweezers, exhibiting a lifetime of 2.5 minutes. We further investigate the survival fraction of a single atom in the tweezers and characterize the optical tweezer array using a release and recapture technique. Our experimental setup serves as an excellent reference for those engaged in experiments involving optical tweezer arrays, cold atom systems, and similar research.