A robust and modular cesium magneto-optical trap using diverging laser beams
arXiv:2607.13145
The paper presents a modular cesium magneto-optical trap that uses diverging laser beams and fiber‑coupled optics to trap hundreds of millions of atoms at sub‑10 µK temperatures for quantum sensing applications.
Abstract
Magneto-optical traps (MOTs) are a workhorse technology for neutral-atom quantum sensing, simulation, and computing. Here, we demonstrate a MOT optimized for inertial quantum sensing and precision metrology applications. Our MOT traps cesium (Cs) atoms in a robust, modular system that achieves stable operation through two design features: (1) we use diverging cooling laser beams to reduce unwanted reflections and (2) optical elements are mounted in a fiber-coupled, compact, and modular cage rigidly attached to the vacuum chamber. Following polarization-gradient cooling (PGC), the system produces atom samples with temperatures below 10 K, similar to those achieved in conventional MOTs that use collimated laser beams. In addition, we observe trapping of Cs atoms in a non-conventional MOT geometry, where the cooling laser beams are diagonal to the principal axis of the quadrupole magnetic field.
14 pages, 7 figures