Search arXiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 2610.29033

Experimental Optimization of a Cryogenic Buffer Gas Source for Molecular Magneto-optical Traps

Kaiya Wilson·Ebram Youssef·Lo\"ıc Anderegg
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Molecular magneto-optical traps (MOTs) are loaded from cryogenic buffer gas beam (CBGB) sources, which produce a large flux of cold molecules. However, only a small fraction of this flux is slowed and captured. Here, we investigate and optimize one of these CBGB sources through a combination of experiment and simulation to maximize the number of molecules loaded into a MOT of CaF molecules. We experimentally determine the range of molecule velocities from the source that are successfully slowed and captured in the MOT, and perform a systematic study of buffer gas source geometries to identify designs that maximize MOT loading. Our observations agree well with Monte Carlo simulations, which provide physical insight into the dynamics within the source and explain how source geometry influences the subset of molecules that are ultimately trapped. These results provide practical design guidelines for optimizing cryogenic buffer gas beam sources used in laser cooling experiments.

Explore related subjects

physics.atom-ph

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Kaiya Wilson, Ebram Youssef, Lo\"ıc Anderegg. 2026-10-21. Experimental Optimization of a Cryogenic Buffer Gas Source for Molecular Magneto-optical Traps. https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.29033

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Fault-tolerant hyper-Ramsey spectroscopy of optical clock transitions with dynamical decoupling

A probe laser field that interrogates an atomic transition also shifts it. Although Hyper-Ramsey (HR) spectroscopy was developed to mitigate these light-induced frequency shifts, the technique remains sensitive to probe intensity fluctuations. In this work, we introduce a novel class of dynamically decoupled hyper-Ramsey (DDHR) sequences that utilize a modified refocusing pulse to effectively eliminate this residual sensitivity. This three-pulse interferometric protocol significantly enhances the contrast of quantum interference fringes while providing robust immunity against probe-induced frequency shifts, even in the presence of external field inhomogeneities. We experimentally validate both HR and DDHR protocols on the NQCH and \textcolor{blue}{IQM} superconducting quantum processor, demonstrating an error scaling that is rigorously consistent with theoretical simulations of the optical clock regime. DDHR spectroscopy yields superior suppression of residual probe-induced frequency shifts compared to the standard HR scheme under probe amplitude fluctuation and decoherence. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the implementation of composite refocusing pulses, derived from a Pascal binomial tree architecture, gives substantial resilience against technical pulse area imperfections. Ultimately, fault-tolerant, dynamically decoupled hyper-clocks will offer a promising experimental platform for the evaluation of advanced, NMR-inspired DDHR sequences of multiple refocusing pulses holding significant potential for high-precision matter/antimatter quantum sensing and rigorous tests of fundamental physics within harsh electromagnetic environments.

physics.atom-ph↗
arXiv2026

Higher-order corrections to the field shift in atomic systems

Differences in nuclear charge distributions between isotopes lead to small changes in atomic spectra known as the field shift. While largely proportional to the change in the mean-square nuclear radius, the field shift also contains higher-order contributions with different dependencies on nuclear moments. Their knowledge is required in searches for new physics using King plots, since they contribute to deviations from King-plot linearity observed experimentally in recent studies. We present a systematic expansion of the field-shift energies in terms of nuclear parameters and test its validity against direct numerical calculations for H-like ions. We also compute leading- and higher-order field-shift corrections for alkali-like systems from Li-like to Rb-like ions, and find that their ratios are nearly independent of the ionic charge state, agreeing with the corresponding hydrogenic $1s$ ratios on a sub-percent level. Motivated by these findings, we introduce an approximation in which these ratios are assumed to be independent of the electronic configuration. It is shown that, within this approximation, higher-order field-shift corrections do not induce King-plot nonlinearities. We conclude that only the small contributions beyond this approximation can contribute to the nonlinearities observed experimentally.

physics.atom-ph↗
arXiv2026

A compact ultracold strontium experiment

We describe a compact and simplified experimental setup for the production of ultracold strontium atoms. Thanks to its low-power oven and coil-free Zeeman slower design, the vacuum system has an overall length of only 40cm including oven, Zeeman slower and all-glass science cell. The oven has a power consumption of 14W at 460°C and produces a collimated flux of 3 10^10at/(s cm^2) at this temperature. The laser system employs master-slave laser architecture throughout and requires neither second-harmonic generation nor tapered amplifiers, reducing cost and complexity. The system has been in continuous use for more than a year.

physics.atom-ph↗