Cold Atom Trap with Zero Residual Magnetic Field: The ac Magneto-Optical Trap

Matthew Harvey and Andrew James Murray
Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 173201 – Published 22 October 2008

Abstract

A novel atom trap is described using alternating current to generate the magnetic B field, together with high speed polarization switching of the damping laser field. This combination produces a trap as effective as a standard magneto-optical trap (MOT), with the advantage that the average B field is zero. No net current is hence induced in surrounding conductive elements, and the B field produced by the ac MOT is found to switch off >300 times faster than a conventional MOT. New experiments can hence be performed, including charged particle probing or detection of the cold target ensemble.

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  • Received 19 May 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.101.173201

©2008 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Matthew Harvey and Andrew James Murray*

  • School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom

  • *Andrew.Murray@manchester.ac.uk

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Issue

Vol. 101, Iss. 17 — 24 October 2008

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