Averaging out magnetic forces with fast rf-sweeps in an optical trap for metastable chromium atoms

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel time-averaged trapping method using rapid rf-sweeps to flip atomic spins, effectively averaging out magnetic forces and enhancing atom accumulation in optical traps for metastable chromium.

Contribution

The study introduces a new technique of rapid rf-sweeps to modulate atomic internal states, enabling magnetic force averaging and improved atom trapping efficiency.

Findings

Increased atom accumulation by up to 80% using the method.

Potential experienced by atoms matches the optical dipole potential.

Method allows trapping of all magnetic sublevels.

Abstract

We introduce a novel type of time-averaged trap, in which the internal state of the atoms is rapidly modulated to modify magnetic trapping potentials. In our experiment, fast radiofrequency (rf) linear sweeps flip the spin of atoms at a fast rate, which averages out magnetic forces. We use this procedure to optimize the accumulation of metastable chomium atoms into an optical dipole trap from a magneto-optical trap. The potential experienced by the metastable atoms is identical to the bare optical dipole potential, so that this procedure allows for trapping all magnetic sublevels, hence increasing by up to 80 percent the final number of accumulated atoms.