2020/08/03 by Rodolphe Boudot, Boudot, Rodolphe, J. P. McGilligan +13 · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Frequency and Time Standards #Atomic Physics (physics.atom-ph) #Atomic and Subatomic Physics Research #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #FOS: Physical sciences
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2008.00831
openalex publication_date 2020/08/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We show that micro-machined non-evaporable getter pumps (NEGs) can extend the\ntime over which laser cooled atoms canbe produced in a magneto-optical trap\n(MOT), in the absence of other vacuum pumping mechanisms. In a first study,\nweincorporate a silicon-glass microfabricated ultra-high vacuum (UHV) cell with\nsilicon etched NEG cavities and alumino-silicateglass (ASG) windows and\ndemonstrate the observation of a repeatedly-loading MOT over a 10 minute period\nwith a single laser-activated NEG. In a second study, the capacity of passive\npumping with laser activated NEG materials is further investigated ina\nborosilicate glass-blown cuvette cell containing five NEG tablets. In this\ncell, the MOT remained visible for over 4 days withoutany external active\npumping system. This MOT observation time exceeds the one obtained in the\nno-NEG scenario by almostfive orders of magnitude. The cell scalability and\npotential vacuum longevity made possible with NEG materials may enable inthe\nfuture the development of miniaturized cold-atom instruments.\n