• DOI:10.1116/5.0053885
• Corpus ID: 230437694

A passively pumped vacuum package sustaining cold atoms for more than 200 days

@inproceedings{Little2021APP,
  title={A passively pumped vacuum package sustaining cold atoms for more than 200 days},
  author={B J Little and Gregory W. Hoth and Justin E. Christensen and Chuck Walker and Dennis J. De Smet and Grant W. Biedermann and Jongmin Lee and Peter D. D. Schwindt},
  year={2021}
}

• B. Little, G. Hoth, +5 authors P. Schwindt
• Published 4 January 2021
• Physics

Compact cold-atom sensors depend on vacuum technology. One of the major limitations to miniaturizing these sensors are the active pumps—typically ion pumps—required to sustain the low pressure needed for laser cooling. Although passively pumped chambers have been proposed as a solution to this problem, technical challenges have prevented successful operation at the levels needed for cold-atom experiments. We present the first demonstration of a vacuum package successfully independent of ion pumps for more than a week; our vacuum package is capable of sustaining a cloud of cold atoms in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) for greater than 200 days using only non-evaporable getters and a rubidium dispenser. Measurements of the MOT lifetime indicate the package maintains a pressure of better than 2 × 10 − 7 Torr. This result will significantly impact the development of compact atomic sensors, including those sensitive to magnetic fields, where the absence of an ion pump will be advantageous.