A 3D-printed alkali metal dispenser

TL;DR

This paper presents a 3D-printed lithium atom source made from titanium, demonstrating its effectiveness in loading a magneto-optical trap with a high number of atoms suitable for portable cold atom sensors.

Contribution

It introduces a novel 3D-printed alkali metal dispenser with characterized outgassing and loading efficiency for cold atom applications.

Findings

Outgassing rate measured at $5 imes 10^{-7}$ Pa·L·s$^{-1}$ at 330°C

Loads approximately 10 million $^7$Li atoms in 1 second

Dispenser weighs 700 mg and is suitable for portable sensors

Abstract

We demonstrate and characterize a source of Li atoms made from direct metal laser sintered titanium. The source's outgassing rate is measured to be $5 \,(2)\cdot 10^{-7}$\,$\rm{Pa}~ \rm{L}~ \rm{s}^{-1}$ at a temperature $T=330\,^\circ$C, which optimizes the number of atoms loaded into a magneto-optical trap. The source loads $\approx 10^7$ $^7$Li atoms in the trap in $\approx 1$\,s. The loaded source weighs 700\,mg and is suitable for a number of deployable sensors based on cold atoms.