Characteristics of integrated magneto-optical traps for atom chips

TL;DR

This paper explores silicon-based pyramidal magneto-optical traps (MOTs) for atom chips, analyzing their dynamics, development of a simple operational theory, and demonstrating their potential for integrated atomic devices.

Contribution

It provides a detailed characterization and a new size-dependent model for microfabricated MOTs, advancing integrated atomic physics technology.

Findings

MOT atom number scales as L^6 with trap size L

Surface proximity influences MOT loading and loss rates

Developed a simple theory explaining MOT operation at micro scales

Abstract

We investigate the operation of pyramidal magneto-optical traps (MOTs) microfabricated in silicon. Measurements of the loading and loss rates give insight into the role of the nearby surface in the MOT dynamics. Studies of the fluorescence versus laser frequency and intensity allow us to develop a simple theory of operation. The number of $^{85}$Rb atoms trapped in the pyramid is approximately $L^6$, where $L \lesssim 6$ is the size in mm. This follows quite naturally from the relation between capture velocity and size and differs from the $L^{3.6}$ often used to describe larger MOTs. Our results constitute substantial progress towards fully integrated atomic physics experiments and devices.