Demonstration of a simple and compact ytterbium magneto-optical trap

Abstract

We present a low Size, Weight and Power (SWaP), low-complexity, ytterbium magneto-optical trap (MOT). We demonstrate trapping of $1.4\times 10^6$ ${}^{171}$Yb atoms on the $|{}^1{S}_0,F=1/2⟩\leftrightarrow |{}^1{P}_1,F^{\prime }=3/2⟩$ transition directly from a hot thermal beam. We explore the effect of trap detuning and oven temperature on trap number, density, loading rate and sample temperature. The low SWaP and low-complexity design presents a realistic pathway towards portable ytterbium MOTs, allowing cold atom ytterbium systems to escape the confines of the laboratory and perform precision measurements in field environments.