High-performance, additively-manufactured atomic spectroscopy apparatus for portable quantum technologies

TL;DR

This paper presents a compact, robust, and cost-effective atomic spectroscopy device made with additive manufacturing, suitable for portable quantum technology applications, demonstrating stability under environmental disturbances.

Contribution

The work introduces a miniaturised, stable, and low-cost spectroscopic apparatus using 3D printing, optimized for portability and environmental resilience in quantum tech.

Findings

Device volume: 0.089 L

Weight: 120 g

Stable performance under vibrations and temperature changes

Abstract

We demonstrate a miniaturised and highly robust system for performing Doppler-free spectroscopy on thermal atomic vapour for three frequencies as required for cold atom-based quantum technologies. The application of additive manufacturing techniques, together with efficient use of optical components, produce a compact, stable optical system, with a volume of 0.089 L and a weight of 120 g. The device occupies less than a tenth of the volume of, and is considerably lower cost than, conventional spectroscopic systems, but also offers excellent stability against environmental disturbances. We characterise the response of the system to changes in environmental temperature between 10 and 30$^{\circ}$C and exposure to vibrations between 0 - 2000 Hz, finding that the system can reliably perform spectroscopic measurements despite substantial vibrational noise and temperature changes. Our results show that 3D-printed optical systems are an excellent solution for portable quantum technologies.