Loading characteristics of a microscopic optical dipole trap

TL;DR

This paper investigates the optimal loading conditions for microscopic optical dipole traps, analyzing how to maximize trapped atom numbers and characterize the loading dynamics from a magneto optical trap.

Contribution

It provides detailed analysis of loading parameters, rates, and conditions for trapping hundreds to thousands of atoms in microscopic dipole traps.

Findings

Optimal loading parameters identified for maximum atom number.

Loading rates and loss coefficients characterized.

Trapping of hundreds to thousands of atoms demonstrated.

Abstract

We report on an investigation of loading characteristics of deep microscopic dipole traps. The dipole trap is loaded from a low density magneto optical trap (MOT) containing $\approx 5\times 10^{6}$ atoms. We determine the loading parameters that maximize the trapped atom number for a trap of waist 5 {\mu}m with trap depths ranging from 3.5 mK to 10 mK. We determine the optimal trap loading conditions and the loading rates, loss coefficients and temperature of the trapped atoms under these conditions. We show that it is possible to load a few hundred to thousand atoms in dipole traps of depth 3.5 mK to 8.5 mK under the optimal loading conditions.