Building a Magneto-Optical Trap
By Siddhita Krishnan, Ananya Pamal
A Magneto-Optical Trap (MOT) uses lasers to slow ions down to extremely low speeds in a millikelvin temperature range so their quantum properties can be studied. Existing MOTs have thus far been used to cool and slow down twenty elements, with the creators receiving the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997. Using the MOT to study atoms can reveal insights into energy generation and speeding up quantum computing. Rubidium MOTs in particular are some of the most common, and we will be creating one to help supplement future projects into quantum computing and quantum energy.