Blue-detuned magneto-optical trap
K. N. Jarvis, J. A. Devlin, T. E. Wall, B. E. Sauer, M. R. Tarbutt

TL;DR
This paper introduces a blue-detuned magneto-optical trap for rubidium atoms that achieves higher density and lower temperature than traditional MOTs, enhancing its potential for molecular trapping applications.
Contribution
The study demonstrates a novel blue-detuned MOT with superior phase-space density and reduced atom loss, especially beneficial for molecular MOTs relying on type-II transitions.
Findings
Achieved density >10^{11}cm^{-3} with temperatures below 30μK.
Phase-space density exceeds that of normal and red-detuned type-II MOTs.
Measured atom loss rate of approximately 1.8×10^{-10}cm^{3}s^{-1}.
Abstract
We present the properties and advantages of a new magneto-optical trap (MOT) where blue-detuned light drives `type-II' transitions that have dark ground states. Using Rb, we reach a radiation-pressure-limited density exceeding cm and a temperature below 30K. The phase-space density is higher than in normal atomic MOTs, and a million times higher than comparable red-detuned type-II MOTs, making it particularly attractive for molecular MOTs which rely on type-II transitions. The loss of atoms from the trap is dominated by ultracold collisions between Rb atoms. For typical trapping conditions, we measure a loss rate of cms.
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