Sub-doppler laser cooling of thulium atoms in a magneto-optical trap

Sukachev, Denis D.; Соколов, А. В.; Chebakov, K.; Акимов, А. В.; Kanorsky, S. I.; Kolachevsky, Nikolai N.; Сорокин, В. Н.

doi:10.1134/s0021364010220133

Cited by 19 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…As a consequence, the Doppler temperature is close to a mK. Such a high temperature makes direct loading from a MOT into a dipole trap difficult and inefficient, even when sub-Doppler mechanisms take place [14,15]. To further decrease the temperature of atoms prior to the dipole trap loading, an additional MOT stage based on an ultra-narrow kHzlinewidth transition was applied in Refs.…”

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confidence: 99%

Narrow-line magneto-optical trap for erbium

et al. 2012

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We report on the experimental realization of a robust and efficient magneto-optical trap for erbium atoms, based on a narrow cooling transition at 583 nm. We observe up to N = 2 × 10 8 atoms at a temperature of about T = 15 µK. This simple scheme provides better starting conditions for direct loading of dipole traps as compared to approaches based on the strong cooling transition alone, or on a combination of a strong and a narrow kHz transition. Our results on Er point to a general, simple and efficient approach to laser cool samples of other lanthanide atoms (Ho, Dy, and Tm) for the production of quantum-degenerate samples.PACS numbers: 37.10. De, 37.10.Vz Laser cooling of non-alkali atoms has become a very active and challenging field of research. The great appeal of unconventional atomic systems for experiments on ultracold atomic quantum gases stems from the possibility of engineering complex interactions and of accessing rich atomic energy spectra. Both features are at the foundation of a number of novel fascinating phenomena. For instance the energy spectra of two-valence-electron species, as alkaline earth and alkalineearth-like atoms, feature narrow and ultra-narrow optical transitions, which are key ingredients for ultra-precise atomic clocks [1], efficient quantum computation schemes [2], and novel laser cooling approaches as beautifully demonstrated in experiments with Sr, Yb,.As a next step in complexity, multi-valence-electron atoms with non-S electronic ground state such as lanthanides are currently attracting an increasing experimental and theoretical interest. Among many, one of the special features of lanthanides is the exceptionally large magnetic dipole moment of atoms in the electronic ground state (e. g. 7 µ B for Er and 10 µ B for both Dy and Tb), which provides a unique chance to study strongly dipolar phenomena with atoms. Highly magnetic atoms interact with each other not only via the usual contact interaction but also via an anisotropic and long-range interaction, known as the dipole-dipole interaction [6]. Chromium was the first atomic species used for experiments on atomic dipolar quantum gases [7,8], and the even more magnetic lanthanides are nowadays in the limelight thanks to laser cooling experiments on Er and Tm [9,10] and to the recent realization of quantumdegenerate Dy gases [11,12].Similarly to Yb and the alkaline earth atoms, the atomic energy spectra of magnetic lanthanides include broad, narrow, and ultra-narrow optical transitions. This collection of lines is reflected in a wide choice of possible schemes for laser cooling experiments. However, all experiments on Zeeman slowing and cooling in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) with magnetic lanthanides so far relied on an approach, essentially based on the strongest cycling transition [9,10,13]. This broad transition typically lies in the blue between 400 and 430 nm and has a linewidth on the order of few tens of MHz. As a consequence, the Doppler temperature is close to a mK. Such a high temperature makes direct loading f...

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confidence: 99%

Narrow-line magneto-optical trap for erbium

et al. 2012

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“…An unusual, anisotropic sub-Doppler cooling effect was observed inside these Er, Dy, and Tm MOTs [167,227,[230][231][232]. The effect is a consequence of the fact that the Landé g factors of the ground and excited states are nearly the same, yielding nearly zero differential Zeeman shift on the cooling transition.…”

Section: Optical Cooling Trapping and Evaporative Cooling Of Open-she...mentioning

confidence: 87%

Dipolar physics: A review of experiments with magnetic quantum gases

Chomaz¹,

Ferrier-Barbut²,

Ferlaino³

et al. 2022

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“…The corresponding boundaries will be S b1 = 5 × 10 −5 and S b2 = 7×10 −4 (comparable to the values for a 87 Rb MOT [29] of S b1 = 9 × 10 −5 and S b2 = 6 × 10 −4 ). For a typical first-stage Tm MOT [20], we use S 0 ≈ 0.1 and ∆ ≈ −Γ, which corresponds to the case S = 0.02 ≫ S b2 . In this case the width of the polarization gradient resonance is large enough to play a dominant role in the cooling process, resulting in a regular one-temperature Maxwellian distribution of atoms [ Fig.…”

Section: B the Symmetric Regimementioning

confidence: 99%

“…For nearly all transitions involved in laser cooling of hollow-shell lanthanides, the magnetic Landé g-factors of the upper and lower cooling levels are close to each other [18,19]. As a result, efficient sub-Doppler cooling was observed directly in the first-stage MOT of Tm [20], Dy [21], Er [22] and Ho [7] even in the presence of a strong magnetic field gradient. However, sub-Doppler cooling in the second-stage MOT has not been reported yet.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two-temperature momentum distribution in a thulium magneto-optical trap

et al. 2017

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Second-stage laser cooling of thulium atoms at the 530.7 nm transition with a natural linewidth of 350 kHz offers an interesting possibility to study different regimes of a magneto-optical trap (MOT). The intermediate value of the spectral linewidth of the cooling transition allows the observation of three distinct regimes depending on the intensity and detuning of the cooling beams, namely, the "bowl-shaped" regime when light pressure force competes with gravity, the "double structure" regime with interplay between the Doppler and polarization-gradient (sub-Doppler) cooling, and the "symmetric" regime when Doppler cooling dominates over sub-Doppler cooling and gravity. The polarization-gradient cooling manifests itself by a two-temperature momentum distribution of atoms resulting in a double-structure of the spatial MOT profile consisting of a cold central fraction surrounded by a hot halo. We studied the double structure regime at different saturation parameters and compared observations with calculations based on semiclassical and quantum approaches. The quantum treatment adequately reproduces experimental results if the MOT magnetic field is properly taken into account.

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Sub-doppler laser cooling of thulium atoms in a magneto-optical trap

Cited by 19 publications

References 22 publications

Narrow-line magneto-optical trap for erbium

Narrow-line magneto-optical trap for erbium

Dipolar physics: A review of experiments with magnetic quantum gases

Two-temperature momentum distribution in a thulium magneto-optical trap

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