Rapid prototyping of grating magneto-optical traps using a focused ion beam.

We have developed a rapid prototyping approach for creating custom grating magneto-optical traps using a dual-beam system combining a focused ion beam and a scanning electron microscope. With this approach we have created both one- and two-dimensional gratings of up to 400 µm × 400 µm in size with structure features down to 100 nm, periods of 620 nm, adjustable aspect ratios (ridge width : depth ∼ 1 : 0.3 to 1 : 1.4) and sidewall angles up to 71°. The depth and period of these gratings make them suitable for holographic trapping and cooling of neutral ytterbium on the 1S0 → 1P1 399 nm transition. Optical testing of the gratings at this wavelength has demonstrated a total first order diffraction of 90% of the reflected light. This work therefore represents a fast, high resolution, programmable and maskless alternative to current photo and electron beam lithography-based procedures and provides a time efficient process for prototyping of small period, high aspect ratio grating magneto-optical traps and other high resolution structures.

Orthogonalizing the control of frequency combs for optical clockworks.

Frequency combs play a crucial supporting role for optical clocks by allowing coherent frequency division of their output signals into the electronic domain. This task requires stabilization of the comb's offset frequency and of an optical comb mode to the clock laser. However, the two actuators used to control these quantities often influence both degrees of freedom simultaneously. This non-orthogonality leads to artificial limits to the control bandwidth and unwanted noise in the comb. Here, we orthogonalize the two feedback loops with a linear combination of the measured signals in a field-programmable gate array. We demonstrate this idea using a fiber frequency comb stabilized to a clock laser at 259 THz, half the frequency of the 1S0→3P0 Yb transition. The decrease in coupling between the loops reduces the comb's optical phase noise by 20 dB. This approach could improve the performance of any comb stabilized to any optical frequency standard.

A simple, powerful diode laser system for atomic physics.

External-cavity diode lasers are ubiquitous in atomic physics and a wide variety of other scientific disciplines, due to their excellent affordability, coherence length, and versatility. However, for higher-power applications, the combination of seed lasers, injection-locking and amplifiers can rapidly become expensive and complex. Here we present a high-power, single-diode laser design with specifications: >210mW, 100 ms-linewidth (427±7)kHz, >99% mode purity, 10 GHz mode-hop-free tuning range, and 12 nm coarse tuning. Simple methods are outlined to determine the spectral purity and linewidth with minimal additional infrastructure. The laser has sufficient power to collect 101087Rb atoms in a single-chamber vapor-loaded magneto-optical trap. With appropriate diodes and feedback, the system could be easily adapted to other atomic species and diode laser architectures.

Comparison of beam generation techniques using a phase only spatial light modulator.

Whether in art or for QR codes, images have proven to be both powerful and efficient carriers of information. Spatial light modulators allow an unprecedented level of control over the generation of optical fields by using digital holograms. There is no unique way of obtaining a desired light pattern however, leaving many competing methods for hologram generation. In this paper, we test six hologram generation techniques in the creation of a variety of modes as well as a photographic image: rating the methods according to obtained mode quality and power. All techniques compensate for a non-uniform mode profile of the input laser and incorporate amplitude scaling. We find that all methods perform well and stress the importance of appropriate spatial filtering. We expect these results to be of interest to those working in the contexts of microscopy, optical trapping or quantum image creation.

Cavity-enhanced frequency up-conversion in rubidium vapor.

We report the first use of a ring cavity to both enhance the output power and dramatically narrow the linewidth (<1 MHz) of blue light generated by four-wave mixing in a rubidium vapor cell. We find that the high output power available in our cavity-free system leads to power broadening of the generated blue light linewidth. Our ring cavity removes this limitation, allowing high output power and narrow linewidth to be achieved concurrently. As the cavity blue light is widely tunable over the Rb855S1/2F=3→6P3/2 transition, this narrow linewidth light would be suitable for near-resonant rubidium studies including, for example, second-stage laser cooling.