A Compact Dual-Beam Zeeman Slower for High-Flux Cold Atoms

TL;DR

This paper introduces a compact dual-beam Zeeman slower design that enhances cold atom flux, reduces contamination, and maintains efficiency, benefiting high-precision applications like quantum computing and metrology.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel dual-beam Zeeman slower design using oblique beams and a capillary-array system, significantly improving atom flux and reducing window contamination in a compact form.

Findings

Increased atom capture efficiency for $^{87}$Rb in simulations.

Nearly eliminated atom-induced contamination at optical windows.

Validated high atomic loading efficiency experimentally with Rb and Yb.

Abstract

We present a compact design of dual-beam Zeeman slower optimized for efficient production of cold atom applications. Traditional single-beam configurations face challenges from substantial residual atomic flux impacting downstream optical windows, resulting in increased system size, atomic deposition contamination, and a reduced operational lifetime. Our approach employs two oblique laser beams and a capillary-array collimation system to address these challenges while maintaining efficient deceleration. For rubidium ($^{87}$Rb), simulations demonstrate a significant increase in the fraction of atoms captured by a two-dimensional magneto-optical trap (2D-MOT) and nearly eliminate atom-induced contamination probability at optical windows, all within a compact Zeeman slower length of 44 cm. Experimental validation with Rb and Yb demonstrates highly efficient atomic loading within the same compact design. This advancement represents a substantial improvement for high-flux cold atom applications, providing reliable performance for high-precision metrology, quantum computation and simulation.