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arXiv · 0802.0836

Sub-Doppler laser cooling and magnetic trapping of erbium

Andrew J. Berglund·Siu Au Lee·Jabez J. McClelland
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Abstract

We investigate cooling mechanisms in magneto-optically and magnetically trapped erbium. We find efficient sub-Doppler cooling in our trap, which can persist even in large magnetic fields due to the near degeneracy of two Lande g factors. Furthermore, a continuously loaded magnetic trap is demonstrated where we observe temperatures below 25 microkelvin. These favorable cooling and trapping properties suggest a number of scientific possibilities for rare-earth atomic physics, including narrow linewidth laser cooling and spectroscopy, unique collision studies, and degenerate bosonic and fermionic gases with long-range magnetic dipole coupling.

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Andrew J. Berglund, Siu Au Lee, Jabez J. McClelland. 2008-02-06. Sub-Doppler laser cooling and magnetic trapping of erbium. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreva.76.053418

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