Berlin 2014 – scientific programme
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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik
Q 32: Poster: Quantum gases, ultracold atoms and molecules
Q 32.59: Poster
Wednesday, March 19, 2014, 16:30–18:30, Spree-Palais
A CO2-laser optical dipole trap with ultracold erbium atoms — •Jens Ulitzsch, Henning Brammer und Martin Weitz — Institut für Angewandte Physik, Wegelerstraße 8, 53115 Bonn
The erbium atom has a 4f12 6s2 3H6 electronic ground state with a large angular
momentum of L = 5. Alkali atoms which are commonly used for quantum gases have a sperical symmetric (L=0) S-ground state configuration, for which in far
detuned laser fields with detuning above the upper state fine structure splitting the trapping potential is determined by the scalar electronic polarizability. For
an erbium quantum gas with its L > 0 ground state, the trapping potential also for far detuned dissipation-less trapping laser fields becomes dependent on the
internal atomic state (i.e. spin).
We report on progress in an ongoing experiment directed at the generation of an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate of erbium atoms in a quasistatic CO2-laser optical dipole trap.
Free erbium atoms are released from an effusive cell, precooled by a Zeeman-slower and trapped in a magneto-optical trap (MOT). Both Zeeman-slower and MOT use light of frequencies that are tuned to the red of the 400,91 nm cooling transition. Atoms are then loaded into a quasistatic optical dipole trap generated by a focused CO2-laser beam with a wavelength near 10,6 µ m, and cooled evaporatively.
Successful loading of precooled erbium atoms from the MOT into the quasistatic optical dipole trap and first results for evaporative cooling will be shown.