Magneto-optical trapping of a group- iii atom

We realize the first magneto-optical trap of an atom in main group iii of the Periodic Table. Our atom of choice (indium) does not have a transition out of its ground state suitable for laser cooling; therefore, laser cooling is performed on the |5P3/2,F=6)→|5D5/2,F=7) transition, where |5P3/2,F=6) is a long-lived metastable state. Optimization of our trap parameters results in atoms numbers as large as 5×108 atoms with temperatures of order 1 mK. Additionally, through trap decay measurements, we infer a one-body trap lifetime of 12.3s. This lifetime is consistent with background gas collisions and indicates that our repumpers have closed all leakage pathways. We also infer a two-body loss rate of 1.6×10-11cm3/s, which is comparable to those measured in alkali atoms. The techniques demonstrated in this Letter can be straightforwardly applied to other group-iii atoms, and our results pave the way for realizing quantum degenerate gases of these particles.

Duke Scholars

Author Travis L Nicholson Physics