Configurable and dynamic trapping potentials for ultracold atoms using a DMD device (Conference Presentation)

Abstract

The implementation of spatial light modulators (SLMs) in quantum gas experiments has allowed the realization of ever more complex trapping geometries. As ultracold atoms may be sensitive to perturbations of the trapping potential at the 1% level, the high contrast ratios of digital micromirror devices are proving advantageous for use in optical trapping. Our laboratory pursues configurable traps based on the direct (nearly diffraction limited) imaging of a digital micromirror device (DMD). We achieve highly flexible potentials using commercially available microscope objectives external to our vacuum chamber that directly project the DMD to the atom plane, producing optical traps over an area of 130 μm × 200 μm, with a resolution of 630(10) nm full width at half maximum (FWHM) at 532 nm illumination. We combine these potentials with a horizontally propagating TEM00 or TEM01 Hermite-Gaussian optical sheet that provides vertical confinement. With the dynamic control enabled by the maximum full-frame rate of 20 KHz and on-board storage of <13,000 frames of the DMD, we study the transport of atoms and superfluid dynamics in configurable trapping geometries. Using the fast frame rate of the DMD we also produce intermediate grey levels that complement half-toning techniques for producing optimized grayscale patterns.