Abstract
Direct loading of lanthanide atoms into magneto-optical traps (MOTs) from a very slow cryogenic buffer gas beam source is achieved, without the need for laser slowing. The beam source has an average forward velocity of 60– and a velocity half-width of , which allows for direct MOT loading of Yb, Tm, Er and Ho. Residual helium background gas originating from the beam results in a maximum trap lifetime of about 80 ms (with Yb). The addition of a single-frequency slowing laser applied to the Yb in the buffer gas beam increases the number of trapped Yb atoms to with a loading rate of . Decay to metastable states is observed for all trapped species and decay rates are measured. Extension of this approach to the loading of molecules into a MOT is discussed.
Highlights
We report the successful use of a two-stage, slower cryogenic buffer gas beam sources (CBGBs) for loading magneto-optical traps (MOTs), including species that have leaky optical cycling transitions
The loading process of the MOT can be described by a phenomenological differential equation for the number of trapped particles n(t) [38], dn dt βn(t)2, (1)
We envision an experiment where the buffer gas source and the trapping region are separated by a differential pumping stage to further reduce the residual He background pressure near the MOT
Summary
We report the successful use of a two-stage, slower CBGB for loading MOTs, including species that have leaky optical cycling transitions This is a step toward a simple approach to loading polar diatomic molecules into a MOT. The low mean forward velocity of our beam source is ∼65 m s−1, which renders a Zeeman slower unnecessary and allows for a direct loading of the MOT This demonstrates a possible experimental path to a MOT for molecules; this beam is slower than the hydrodynamic CBGB used in other laser cooling experiments and offers a much shorter slowing path for the molecules, before the MOT. We overcome this limitation with our high instantaneous flux beam source, allowing us to fully load the MOT in only a few milliseconds
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