Efficient loading of ultracold sodium atoms in an optical dipole trap from a high power fiber laser* *Project supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2017YFA0304203), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61722507, 61675121, 61705123, 62020106014, and 62011530047), the PCSIRT (Grant No. IRT-17R70), the 111 Project (Grant No. D18001), the Program for the

Abstract

We report on a research of the loading of ultracold sodium atoms in an optical dipole trap, generated by two beams from a high power fiber laser. The effects of optical trap light power on atomic number, temperature and phase space density are experimentally investigated. A simple theory is proposed and it is in good accordance with the experimental results of the loaded atomic numbers. In a general estimation, an optimal value for each beam with a power of 9 W from the fiber laser is achieved. Our results provide a further understanding of the loading process of optical dipole trap and laid the foundation for generation of a sodium Bose–Einstein condensation with an optical dipole trap.