Characterization of the Collimation of an Atomic Beam with a Monochromatic Quasi-resonant Laser

Abstract

In this article, we measure the collimation of an atomic beam of strontium that emerges from an array of microtubes installed at the output of an atomic oven, through the characterization of the beam fluorescence caused by a monochromatic laser beam close to resonance with a strontium electronic transition, as a function of the transverse position at the atomic beam and the light detuning. We develop a theoretical model to obtain the total fluorescence rate as a function of the collimation of the atomic beam, the temperature of the atomic oven, and the laser frequency. Collision effects between the atoms, and the atoms with the recipient walls, are included to make the model realistic. The method and theory developed are useful to laboratories willing to implement such atomic sources, for experiments with atomic beams or cold atomic samples.