https://doi.org/10.1007/s100530170172
A continuous cold atomic beam from a magneto-optical trap
1
Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II" and Istituto Nazionale
per la Fisica
della Materia (INFM), Complesso Universitario di Monte S. Angelo, via Cintia, 80126 Napoli, Italy
2
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Firenze, largo E. Fermi 2, 50125 Firenze, Italy
3
Istituto di Cibernetica del CNR, via Toiano 6, 80072 Arco Felice, Italy
Corresponding author: a cacciapuoti@na.infn.it
Received:
19
February
2001
Published online: 15 August 2001
We have developed and characterized a new method to produce a
continuous beam of cold atoms from a standard vapour-cell magneto-optical
trap (MOT). The experimental apparatus is very simple. Using a single
laser beam it is possible to hollow out in the source MOT a direction of
unbalanced radiation pressure along which cold atoms can be accelerated out
of the trap. The transverse cooling process that takes place during the
extraction reduces the beam divergence. The atomic beam is used to load a
magneto-optical trap operating in an ultra-high vacuum environment. At a
vapour pressure of 
in the loading cell, we have
produced a continuous flux of 
at the recapture
cell with a mean velocity of 14 m/s. A comparison of this method
with a pulsed transfer scheme is presented.
PACS: 32.80.Pj – Optical cooling of atoms; trapping / 42.50.Vk – Mechanical effects of light on atoms, molecules, electrons, and ions
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2001
