This thesis describes the advances made towards a dual-species magneto-optical trap (MOT) of Li and Rb for use in photoassociation spectroscopy, Feshbach resonance studies, and, as long-term aspirations, the formation of ultracold heteronuclear polar molecules. The initial discussion will focus on a brief theoretical overview of laser cooling and trapping and the production of ultracold molecules from a cold atom source. Subsequently, details of the experimental system, including those pertaining to the required laser light, the vacuum chamber, and the computer control system will be presented. Finally, preliminary optimization and characterization measurements showing the performance of a single species Li MOT are introduced. These measurements demonstrated the loading of over 8 x 107 Li atoms directly into a MOT without the need for a Zeeman slower.

This thesis describes the advances made towards a dual-species magneto-optical trap (MOT) of Li and Rb for use in photoassociation spectroscopy, Feshbach resonance studies, and, as long-term aspirations, the formation of ultracold heteronuclear polar molecules. The initial discussion will focus on a brief theoretical overview of laser cooling and trapping and the production of ultracold molecules from a cold atom source. Subsequently, details of the experimental system, including those pertaining to the required laser light, the vacuum chamber, and the computer control system will be presented. Finally, preliminary optimization and characterization measurements showing the performance of a single species Li MOT are introduced. These measurements demonstrated the loading of over 8 x 107 Li atoms directly into a MOT without the need for a Zeeman slower.

Casimir and Casimir-Polder effects are forces between electrically neutral bodies and particles in vacuum, arising entirely from quantum fluctuations. The modification to the vacuum electromagnetic-field modes imposed by the presence of any particle or surface can result in these mechanical forces, which are often the dominant interaction at small separations. These effects play an increasingly critical role in the operation of micro- and nano-mechanical systems as well as miniaturized atomic traps for precision sensors and quantum-information devices. Despite their fundamental importance, calculations present theoretical and numeric challenges, and precise atom-surface potential measurements are lacking in many geometric and distance regimes. The spectroscopic measurement of Casimir-Polder-induced energy level shifts in optical-lattice trapped atoms offers a new experimental method to probe atom-surface interactions. Strontium, the current front-runner among optical frequency metrology systems, has demonstrated characteristics ideal for such precision measurements. An alkaline earth atom possessing ultra-narrow intercombination transitions, strontium can be loaded into an optical lattice at the “magic” wavelength where the probe transition is unperturbed by the trap light. Translation of the lattice will permit controlled transport of tightly-confined atomic samples to well-calibrated atom- surface separations, while optical transition shifts serve as a direct probe of the Casimir-Polder potential. We have constructed a strontium magneto-optical trap (MOT) for future Casimir-Polder experiments. This thesis will describe the strontium apparatus, initial trap performance, and some details of the proposed measurement procedure.

This thesis describes the advances made towards a dual-species magneto-optical trap (MOT) of Li and Rb for use in photoassociation spectroscopy, Feshbach resonance studies, and, as long-term aspirations, the formation of ultracold heteronuclear polar molecules. The initial discussion will focus on a brief theoretical overview of laser cooling and trapping and the production of ultracold molecules from a cold atom source. Subsequently, details of the experimental system, including those pertaining to the required laser light, the vacuum chamber, and the computer control system will be presented. Finally, preliminary optimization and characterization measurements showing the performance of a single species Li MOT are introduced. These measurements demonstrated the loading of over 8 x 107 Li atoms directly into a MOT without the need for a Zeeman slower. / Science, Faculty of / Physics and Astronomy, Department of / Graduate

This thesis provides a summary of the laser system constructed in the Quantum Degenerate Gases Laboratory for laser cooling and trapping of 85/87Rband 6Li as well as of experiments that have been pursued in our lab to date. The first chapter provides an overview of the experimental focus of the QDG lab. The second and third chapters provide the fundamental theory behind laser cooling and trapping. The fourth chapter provides details of the laser system. The fifth chapter describes an experiment performed on the subject of dual-injection, performed in collaboration with Dr. James Booth of the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) involving the dual-injection of a single slave amplifier. The last chapter describes the progress made on the experimental setup needed for the study of Feshbach resonances between 85/87Rb and 6Li and the photoassociative formation of molecules.

This thesis provides a summary of the laser system constructed in the Quantum Degenerate Gases Laboratory for laser cooling and trapping of 85/87Rband 6Li as well as of experiments that have been pursued in our lab to date. The first chapter provides an overview of the experimental focus of the QDG lab. The second and third chapters provide the fundamental theory behind laser cooling and trapping. The fourth chapter provides details of the laser system. The fifth chapter describes an experiment performed on the subject of dual-injection, performed in collaboration with Dr. James Booth of the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) involving the dual-injection of a single slave amplifier. The last chapter describes the progress made on the experimental setup needed for the study of Feshbach resonances between 85/87Rb and 6Li and the photoassociative formation of molecules.

This thesis provides a summary of the laser system constructed in the Quantum Degenerate Gases Laboratory for laser cooling and trapping of 85/87Rband 6Li as well as of experiments that have been pursued in our lab to date. The first chapter provides an overview of the experimental focus of the QDG lab. The second and third chapters provide the fundamental theory behind laser cooling and trapping. The fourth chapter provides details of the laser system. The fifth chapter describes an experiment performed on the subject of dual-injection, performed in collaboration with Dr. James Booth of the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) involving the dual-injection of a single slave amplifier. The last chapter describes the progress made on the experimental setup needed for the study of Feshbach resonances between 85/87Rb and 6Li and the photoassociative formation of molecules. / Science, Faculty of / Physics and Astronomy, Department of / Graduate

Neste trabalho demonstramos o confinamento de átomos de sódio usando a armadilha magneto-óptica, onde os átomos foram capturados diretamente a partir da distribuição inicial do vapor atômico a uma temperatura ambiente, contido em uma célula fechada. Observamos além da nuvem de átomos aprisionados, estruturas circulares em forma de anek, que surgem devido ao desalinhamento introduzido nos feixes de aprisionamento. Estudamos o comportamento do raio do anel em função de vários parâmetros utilizados na armadilha magneto-óptica como por exemplo: gradiente de campo magnético, intensidade do laser, dessintonia e desalinhamento. Os experimentos foram realizados no regime de baixa densidade (N<10s) onde o raio do anel é independente do número de átomos aprisionados. Assim, os resultados obtidos podem ser explicados utilizando um modelo simples que leva em conta a força de vórtice dependente da coordenada radial (ou macroscópica) e as forças usuais presentes na armadilha magneto-óptica / In this work we demonstrate the confinement of neutral sodium atoms using the magneto-optical trap, where the atoms were captured directly from the low velocity tail of the room-temperature atomic vapor contained in the closed vacuum cell. We observed besides the cloud shaped, circular structures like a ring of trapped atoms that apeears when we introduce a misalignment among the trapping beams. We studied the behavior of ring radius with respect to several trapping parameters as: magnetic-field gradient, laser intensity, detuning, and misalignment. The experiments were performed in the low density regime (N<10s), so the ring radius is independent of the number of trapped atoms. Hence, the results obtained can be explained using a simple model that takes into account a radial coordinate dependent (or macroscopic) vortex force and the usual magneto-optical trap forces

Observamos neste trabalho o processo de mudança de estrutura fina em colisões entre átomos de 85Rb resfriados e aprisionados em uma armadilha magneto-óptica. Medimos, através da fotoionização de fragmentos atômicos gerados nessas colisões, as taxas segundo as quais os átomos deixam a armadilha induzidos por esse processo colisional. Realizamos estudos das taxas de perda com relação a intensidade do laser de aprisionamento e com a freqüência, utilizando para isso a técnica de catálise. Nossos resultados indicam que a contribuição do processo de mudança de estrutura fina para a taxa de perdas total não é dominante. Constatamos que a estrutura hiperfina desempenha um papel importante na dinâmica colisional e na determinação dos valores das taxas. Interpretamos nossos resultados através de um modelo semi-clássico, sendo que este foi incapaz de explicar todos os efeitos observados. Propusemos algumas explicações qualitativas para as discrepâncias observadas. Acreditamos que nossos resultados devam servir de estímulo para novos trabalhos teóricos nesta área. / We report the observation of trap-loss collisional rates due to fine structure changing collisions between cold and trapped 85Rb atoms. We have measured, by photoionization of the atomic fragments in 5P1/2 state originated in these collisions, the rates through the atoms leave the trap induced by this loss mechanism. We carried out experiments to determine the rate dependence with the intensity of the trapping laser, and with the frequency, using the catalisys technique. We also measured the contribution of this process to the total trap-loss rate and determined that fine structure changing is not the dominant loss mechanism. It was also observed that the hyperfine structure plays an important role in the rate behavior. We compared our results with those given by a semiclassical theoretical approach, the Gallagher-Pritchard model, and some disagreements were observed. We proposed some arguments to explain these discrepancies. We believe that such results should stimulate theoretical work on this field.

Neste trabalho é apresentada a construção da montagem de um sistema experimental para resfriar átomos de estrôncio. A construção do sistema está focada no estudo do espalhamento coletivo em nuvens atômicas frias e ultrafrias por meio da teoria de Mie. O estrôncio é um elemento que conta com dois estágios de resfriamento, o primeiro utilizando a transição forte entre estados singletos &sup1;S&#8320;-&sup1;P &#8321; de &Gamma; = (2 &pi;)32 MHz, e o segundo com uma transição fraca entre estados singleto e tripleto &sup1;S&#8320;-&sup3;P&#8321; de &Gamma; = (2 &pi;)7,5 MHz. O objetivo deste trabalho é a construção do sistema para resfriar átomos de estrôncio utilizando a primeira transição. A construção do sistema se apresenta em várias partes, primeiro a construção do um forno como fonte de vapor de estrôncio, onde o estrôncio metálico é aquecido até uma temperatura T = 600&deg;C. O forno conta com um sistema de microtubos encarregados de colimar o feixe atômico, estes microtubos tem um diâmetro interno D &asymp; 180&micro;m e um comprimento de 8mm. Depois da implementação do forno e do sistema de microtubos foi medido o perfil de velocidades transversais e a divergência do feixe atômico que sai do forno. A largura tem um valor wr = (2&pi;)108 MHze a divergência do feixe de &alpha; &asymp;4,12. A segunda parte do sistema conta com a construção do desacelerador Zeeman, responsável por desacelerar os átomos do feixe atômico utilizando um feixe laser contrapropagante de &lambda;=461 nm, circularmente polarizado e com uma dessintonização utilizada, após a caracterização do sistema, de &Delta;=(-2&pi;)580MHz. Os átomos sentiram os efeitos da força de pressão radiativa dentro de um tubo de comprimento de 0,28m. Para compensar o efeito Doppler causado pelo movimento dos átomos foi utilizado um arranjo de bobinas em configuração spin flip para gerar o campo. A terceira e principal parte do sistema foi a construção da armadilha magnetoóptica (AMO). Onde os átomos que saem do desacelerador Zeeman são confinados e resfriados pela combinação de seis feixes contrapropagantes, dos quais três são retrorefletidos utilizando a transição &Gamma;=(2&pi;)32MHz. A dessintonia dos feixes após da caracterização do sistema foi de &Delta;=(-2&pi;)39MHz. Depois da construção do sistema foi feita a primeira caracterição da armadilha magneto-óptica de átomos de estrôncio 88 em nosso grupo, onde obtivemos a temperatura dos átomos na armadilha para o eixo vertical da expansão foi de Tv=4.7mK e para o eixo horizontal de TH=4mK. Também foi medido o tempo de carga dos átomos na armadilha tcarga=0.15s como bombeamento óptico de estado &sup3;P&#8322;-&sup3;D&#8322;. O tempo de vida foi de 0.3s e 0.03s com e sem bombeamento óptico, respectivamente. / This work presents the construction of the assembly of an experimental system for cooling strontium atoms. The construction of the system is focused on the collective scattering in atomic cold cloud and ultra cold using the Mie theory. The strontium is an element that permits two stage of cooling, the first using the strong transition between singlet states &sup1;S&#8320;-&sup1;P&#8321; of &Gamma;=(2&pi;) 32 MHz, and a second stages is the weak transition between singlet and triplet states &sup1;S&#8320;-&sup3;P&#8321; de &Gamma;=(2&pi;) 7.5MHz. The objective of this work is building the system for cooling strontium atoms using the first transition. The construction of the system is presented in several parts. First is described the construction of oven as vapor source strontium, where the strontium metal is heated to Temperature Range T = 600&deg;C. The oven has a microtubule system responsible for collimating the atomic beam, these microtubules has an internal diameter of D &asymp; 180&micro;m and a length of 8mm. After implementation of the oven system and the microtubes were measured transverse velocity profile and the divergence of the atomic beam that leaves the oven, the width value was f wr=(2&pi;)108MHzand beam divergence value was &alpha; &asymp; 4,12. The second part of the system relies on the construction of the Zeeman slower responsible for decelerating the atoms of the atomic beam using a laser beam antipropagating of &lambda; = 461 nm nm with a circularly polarized , the detuning used after of the characterization of the system was &Delta; = (2&pi;)580 MHz. Atoms felt the effects of pressure force radiative within a tube length of 0.28m to compensate the Doppler shift due to motion a of atoms used an arrangement of coils in configuration \"spin flip\" to generate the magnetic field to compensate this effect. The third and main part of the system was the construction of magneto-optical trap (MOT), the atoms coming out of the Zeeman decelerator are confined and cooled by a combination of six counterpropagating beams, three of which are retro reflected using the transition &Gamma; = (2&pi;)32MHz, the detuning of the beam after the characterization of the system was &Delta; = (-2&pi;) 39 MHz and the opposite polarization for each pair of beam in the same direction. After the construction of the system was made the first magneto-optical trap of strontium atoms 88, the temperature of the trap was atoms to the vertical he expansion was Tv = 4.7mK and the horizontal axis TH = 4 mK 4, also was measured loading time of the atoms in the trap tcharge = 0.15s as optical pumping state &sup3;P&#8322;- &sup3;D&#8322;. The lifetime with and without optical pumping was tlife = 0.3s and tlife = 0.03s respectively.