gMOT
A compact grating Magneto-Optical Trap chip for the generation of ultra-cold atoms.
Features
Performance
- Trapping over 10 million 87Rb atoms
- Cooling below 40 µK
Atom Clouds denser than 1010/cm3
Application
Central to quantum technology research.
Simplification
Enables laser cooling with a single laser beam while significantly reducing the overall system volume, optical access requirements, apparatus complexity and cost.
Adaptable
Can operate either inside the vapour chamber or externally through a suitable window.
Validation
Each chip supplied with actual atom number and cooling data.
This work was published in Nature Nanotechnology.
Specifications
Performance Specifications
Loading rate of atoms into the MOT – >5×106 /sec
Steady state number of atoms in MOT – ~107
Temperature – 3 µK to 40 µK
Density – >1010 /cm3
Chip Physical Specifications
Dimensions: 22 x 22 x 0.5 mm
Grating region: 20 x 20 mm
Material coating: Aluminium
Chip material: Silicon
Weight: 0.6 g
Input Laser Beam Requirements
Wavelength: 780.24 nm
Frequency detuning: ~12 MHz
Power: ~50 mW
Polarisation: Circular polarised (Stokes parameter |S3|≥0.9)
Collimation: Divergence angle, |θ|≤0.1o
Incident angle: Normal +/- 1o
Beam size radius: 1/e2 radius ~17 mm
Vacuum and Magnetic Requirements
Base pressure: <1 x 10-9 mbar
Rb partial pressure: <5 x 10-9 mbar
Magnetic field: Quadrupole coils aligned with chip. Axial gradient of 0.1 T/m
Ambient DC field: ≤10 µT
