Atomic Trapping and Cooling

The temperature on the atomic scale depends on the rate of movement of the atoms. Cooling individual atoms usually boils down to preventing the atoms from moving. But how does one grab a single atom and stop it?

Some atomic cooling techniques are Doppler cooling, Sub–Doppler cooling, and atom evaporation in a Bose-Einstein condensate.

Atomic trapping and cooling are typically used in applications such as:

time/frequency standards (atomic clocks)
GPS systems and navigation
research on fundamental constants
quantum information (computing and encryption)
atom interferometry

For laser cooling on atomic resonances (such as Doppler cooling), you need a precise wavelength to match a specific atomic/ion transition, making DFB fiber lasers ideal. You can get this from a laser with a linewidth narrower than the atomic transition.

Higher power lets you cool more atoms simultaneously. No other commercial system provides equally high power at key cooling and trapping wavelengths as the Koheras HARMONIK, and with pristine beam quality.

Our offers for trapping and cooling applications

Koheras lasers offer ultra-low noise, narrow linewidth, and high-frequency stability in a rugged fiber format. For trapping and cooling applications, we recommend our Koheras BOOSTIK HP single-frequency laser together with the Koheras HARMONIK frequency converter modules.

The BOOSTIK system has advantages that have made it a daily driver in hundreds of laboratories around the World:

High power
Excellent beam quality
Ultra-low phase noise
Easy to use and maintenance-free

The BOOSTIK HP laser and HARMONIK frequency converter module come in different wavelength ranges and power levels to suit the many different needs of atomic physics.

Model	Wavelength	Output power	PM	Piezo tuning
HARMONIK	775-780 nm	>7 W	Optional	Yes
Y10	1030-1090 nm	2, 5, 10 or 15W	Optional	Yes
E15	1530-1575 nm	2, 5 or 10W	Optional	Yes
C15	1530-1575 nm	2, 5 or 10W	Optional	Yes

Get wavelength freedom

One of the key advantages of our DFB fiber laser technology is the freedom to choose the operating wavelength. Due to the excellent beam quality, frequency conversion can efficiently bring many important applications within atomic physics within reach of the HARMONIK system.

Frequency conversion examples are shown below.

The graph shows the VIS wavelength capabilities of the HARMONIK. All lasers are pumped by our low-noise fiber lasers in the NIR (not shown), allowing the lasers to be locked to frequency references at either their fundamental or converted wavelengths.

aeroGUIDE-POWER fiber delivery for high power narrow linewidth light

The aeroGUIDE-POWER is the gold standard of high power single-mode fiber delivery and offers the highest nonlinear threshold of any PM single-mode delivery system on the market.

The systems are equipped with high-power SMA-905 connectors with built-in mode strippers to remove uncoupled light. The aeroGUIDE-POWER is single-mode and can guide light with low loss anywhere in the 500 to 2000 nm range. The fiber is protected by an armored square lock steel cable that can handle daily use and even inter-lab routing through walls.

How have others used Koheras lasers for atomic physics

Trapping and cooling

Barium

Ultra-low-vibration closed-cycle cryogenic surface-electrode ion trap apparatus by T. Dubielzig, S. Halama, H. Hahn, G. Zarantonello, M. Niemann, A. Bautista-Salvador, C. Ospelkaus published in Review of Scientific Instruments, 2021.
A frequency quintupled laser at 308 nm for spectroscopy of intercombination lines in zinc by Maya Büki, David Röser, Simon Stellmer published in Physics Optics, 2021.
Frequency-quintupled laser at 308 nm for atomic physics applications by Maya Büki, David Röser, and Simon Stellmer published in Applied Optics, 2021.
Systematic optimization of laser cooling of dysprosium by Florian Mühlbauer, Niels Petersen, Carina Baumgärtner, Lena Maske, Patrick Windpassinger published in Applied Physics B, 2018.
Hyperfine and optical barium ion qubits by M. R. Dietrich, N. Kurz, T. Noel, G. Shu, and B. B. Blinov published in Physics Review, 2010.
Magneto-optical trapping of barium by S. De, U. Dammalapati, K. Jungmann, and L. Willmann published in Physics Review, 2009.
Barium Ions for Quantum Computation by M. R. Dietrich, A. Avril, R. Bowler, N. Kurz, J. S. Salacka, G. Shu, B. B. Blinov published in Atomic Physics, 2009.
Isotope shifts of 6s5d3D-6s6p1P1 transitions in neutral barium by U. Dammalapati, S. De, K Jungmann, L. Willmann published in The European Physical Journal D, 2009.

Beryllium

139 GHz UV phase-locked Raman laser system for thermometry and sideband cooling of 9Be+ ions in a Penning trap by J. Mielke, J. Pick, J. A. Coenders, T. Meiners, M. Niemann, J. M. Cornejo, S. Ulmer, C. Ospelkaus published in Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, 2021.
Ultra-low-vibration closed-cycle cryogenic surface-electrode ion trap apparatus by T. Dubielzig, S. Halama, H. Hahn, G. Zarantonello, M. Niemann, A. Bautista-Salvador, C. Ospelkaus published in Review of Scientific Instruments, 2021.
Thermometry of 9Be+ ions in a cryogenic Penning trap thesis by Johannes Mielke, Leibniz University Hannover, 2021.
Cryogenic 9Be+ Penning trap for precision measurements with (anti-)protons by M. Niemann, T. Meiners, J. Mielke, M. J. Borchert, J. M. Cornejo, S. Ulmer, C. Ospelkaus published in Measurement Science and Technology, 2019.
Control and measurement of a single-ion quantum harmonic oscillator thesis by Katherine Casey McCormick, University of Colorado, 2019.
Two-qubit microwave quantum logic gate with 9Be+ ions in scalable surface-electrode ion traps thesis by Henning Hahn, Leibniz University Hannover, 2019.
A Be+ ion trap for H2+ spectroscopy thesis by Johannes Heinrich, Sorbonne University, 2018.
Setup of a vibration-suppressed cryogenic system for a RF ion trap with minimum micromotion thesis by Lukas Josef Spiess, Max Planck Institute, 2018.

Magnesium

Thermometry of 9Be+ ions in a cryogenic Penning trap thesis by Johannes Mielke, Leibniz University Hannover, 2021.
Towards an 27Al+ based optical clock by Khabarova Ksenia, Zalivako Ilia, Semerikov Ilya, Borisenko Alexander, Kolachevsky Nikolay published by IEEE, 2018.
Laser cooling of externally produced Mg ions in a Penning trap for sympathetic cooling of highly charged ions by Z. Andelkovic, R. Cazan, W. Nörtershäuser, S. Bharadia, D. M. Segal, R. C. Thompson, R. Jöhren, J. Vollbrecht, V. Hannen, M. Vogel published in Physical Review A, 2013.
A Solid State Laser System for the Cooling of Magnesium Ions by R. Cazan, C. Geppert, W. Nörtershäuser, 2013.
Towards sympathetic cooling of trapped ions with laser-cooled Mg + ions for mass spectrometry and laser spectroscopy by Radu Cazan, Christopher Geppert, Wilfried Nörtershäuser, Rodolfo Sánchez published in Hyperfine Interactions, 2010.

Rubidium

Ultranarrow bandwidth Faraday atomic filter approaching natural linewidth based on cold atoms by Wei Zhuang, Yang Zhao, Shaokai Wang, Zhanjun Fang, Fang Fang, Tianchu Li, published in Chinese Optics Letters, 2021.
Performance of an optical single-sideband laser system for atom interferometry by Clemens Rammeloo, Lingxiao Zhu, Yu-Hung Lien, Kai Bongs, Michael Holynski, published in Journal of the Optical Society of America B, 2020.
Optical frequency generation using fiber Bragg grating filters for applications in portable quantum sensing by C. D. Macrae, K. Bongs, M. Holynski, published in Atomic Physics, 2020.
Doppler Compensated Cavity For Atom Interferometry by Rustin Nourshargh, Sam Hedges, Mehdi Langlois, Kai Bongs, Michael Holynski, published in Atomic Physics, 2020.
Time-scale Generation Methods Based on an Optical Clock by Artem Gribov, Denis Sutyrin, Oleg Berdasov, Sergey Antropov, Gleb Belotelov, Evgeniya Stelmashenko, Aleksei Kostin, Mikhail Gurov, Alexander Malimon, Daria Fedorova, Roman Balaev, Sergey Slyusarev published in IEEE Xplore, 2020.
Multi-second magnetic coherence in a single domain spinor Bose–Einstein condensate by Silvana Palacios, Simon Coop, Pau Gomez, Thomas Vanderbruggen, Y. Natali Martinez de Escobar, Martijn Jasperse, Morgan W Mitchell, published in New Journal of Physics, 2018.
Optical frequency standard of continuous wave for fiber communication based on optical comb by Ruiyuan Liu, Ye Li, Cheng Qian, Dawei Li, Jianxiao Leng, Jianye Zhao, published in Optics Communications, 2018.
Compact and robust laser system for rubidium laser cooling based on the frequency doubling of a fiber bench at 1560 nm by F. Lienhart, S. Boussen, O. Carraz, N. Zahzam, Y. Bidel, A. Bresson published in Applied Physics B, 2007.
Two-photon photoassociation spectroscopy of heteronuclear YbRb by Frank Münchow, Cristian Bruni, Maximilian Madalinski, Axel Görlitz published in Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2011.

Strontium

Frequency stabilized ultra-low-noise DFB fiber laser based on intracavity dual mode frequency self-reference mechanism by Kang Ying, Haoyang Pi, Xuan Li, Qing Ye, Haiwen Cai published by SPIE, 2022.
High-Power, Fiber-Laser-Based Source for Magic-Wavelength Trapping in Neutral-Atom Optical Clocks by William J. Eckner, Aaron W. Young, Nathan Schine, Adam M. Kaufman published in Review of Scientific Instruments, 2021.
Time-scale Generation Methods Based on an Optical Clock by Artem Gribov, Denis Sutyrin, Oleg Berdasov, Sergey Antropov, Gleb Belotelov, Evgeniya Stelmashenko, Aleksei Kostin, Mikhail Gurov, Alexander Malimon, Daria Fedorova, Roman Balaev, Sergey Slyusarev published by IEEE, 2020.
Sympathetic cooling in a multi-isotope Sr+ Coulomb crystal by S. Removille, Q. Glorieux, T. Coudreau, L. Guidoni, J.-P. Likforman, S. Guibal in SPIE Photonics Europe. International Society for Optics and Photonics, 2010.
Trapping and cooling of Sr+ ions: strings and large clouds by S. Removille, R. Dubessy, B. Dubost, Q. Glorieux, T. Coudreau, S. Guibal, J-P Likforman, L. Guidoni published in Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, 2009.

Ytterbium