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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik
Q 63: Ultracold Atoms (Trapping and Cooling)
Q 63.3: Talk
Friday, March 15, 2019, 11:00–11:15, S SR 211 Maschb.
The Design of a Laser System for BECCAL - a Quantum Gas Experiment on the ISS — •Victoria Henderson1, Ahmad Bawamia2, André Wenzlawski3, Jean-Pierre Marburger3, Andreas Wicht2, Patrick Windpassinger3, Markus Krutzik1,2, Achim Peters1,2, and the BECCAL Team1,2,3,4,5,6,7 — 1HU Berlin — 2Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Berlin — 3JGU, Mainz — 4LU Hannover — 5ZARM, Bremen — 6DLR, Bremen — 7Universität Ulm
BECCAL (BEC - Cold Atom Laboratory) is a cold atom experiment designed to be operated on the ISS. It is a collaboration between DLR and NASA, built upon a heritage of sounding rocket and drop tower experiments as well as NASA’s CAL. This multi-user facility will enable us to explore fundamental physics research with Rb and K BECs and ultra-cold atoms in microgravity, facilitating prolonged timescales and ultra-low energy scales compared to those achievable on Earth.
The complexity of the light fields required presents a unique challenge for laser system design, especially in terms of the stringent size weight and power limitations. To meet this we combine micro-integrated diode lasers (from FBH) with Zerodur boards of miniaturized free-space optics (from JGU), all interconnected via fibre optics. These technologies have proven their reliability in many qualification tests. We will present the current design of the BECCAL laser system, alongside the requirements, concepts and heritage that has formed it.
This work is supported by the German Space Agency (DLR) with funds provided by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) under grant number DLR50WP1702.