TRAPPING RADIOACTIVE ATOMS FOR BASIC AND APPLIED RESEARCH

Abstract

We report on the trapping of radioactive atoms for a variety of nuclear, atomic, and applied physics investigations. To date we have trapped 5 different radioisotopes of rubidium and cesium (82–84Rb+135,137Cs) using a magneto-optical trap (MOT) coupled to a mass separator. By optimizing the efficiency of this system, we have been able to trap as many as 6 million radioactive atoms and detect as few as 100. This technology is being applied in three different areas: (1) the parity-violating, β-decay asymmetry measurement of polarized 82Rb; (2) the study of ultracold fermionic 84Rb atoms; and (3) the use of MOTs for the ultrasensitive detection of selected radioactive species. Although all of these projects are in a formative stage of development, we highlight the progress that we have made in: (1) the trapping of 82Rb atoms in double MOT system; (2) the hyperfine structure measurement of the 5P1/2 and 5P3/2 levels in 82Rb; (3) the simultaneous trapping of 84Rb and 87Rb in overlapping MOTs; and (4) the first trapping and isotopic ratio measurement of 135Cs and 137Cs in a MOT.