Magneto-Optical Trap
By Soren, Christoph, Xavier
The proposed research aims to advance the Quantum Lab’s in progress magneto-optical trap (MOT) which has been worked on over the past two years. We hope to fully understand, complete, and improve the current doppler-free saturation spectroscopy (DFSS) setup in the QLab and rework the design for the vacuum chamber. Doing so would allow us to trap rubidium atoms using lasers and magnetic fields, allowing us to cool the atoms and bring forth properties not found in standard conditions.
The intellectual merit of this project lies in its subatomic nature. Our goal is ambitious in that we seek to manipulate the energy states of atoms and then cool them to temperatures nearing 0K. Once cooled, the Rubidium atoms will be one step closer toward becoming a Bose-Einstein-Condensate, a state of matter with unique quantum properties that is a significant topic of quantum research in the academic scene today. In such a condensate, a large part of the atoms occupy the lowest quantum state, making quantum properties appear on a macroscopic scale and allowing for previously impossible experiments. To do so requires a theoretical and experimental understanding of lasers, rubidium, and electromagnetic properties.
The broader impacts of this research are profound and far-reaching. Magneto-Optical Traps produce ultracold neutral atoms, which have a myriad of applications in the Quantum and broader Physics Field. Cold atoms are essential for quantum computing, quantum simulation, and other quantum measurements. They are the first step in producing Atom interferometers, which are used in gradiometers and other sensory technology. The production of controlled precision atoms enables use cases such as atomic clocks. Cold atoms are especially relevant in undergraduate physics research, as they allow students to explore these advanced concepts in a hands-on manner, which is exactly what we seek to allow TJ’s research program to do in the future. Because of these far reaching possible use cases, the Magneto Optical Trap will serve to better the QLab as a powerful educational tool for future projects and students.