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Miniaturized Lab System for Future Cold Atom Experiments in Microgravity

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Abstract

We present the technical realization of a compact system for performing experiments with cold 87Rb and 39K atoms in microgravity in the future. The whole system fits into a capsule to be used in the drop tower Bremen. One of the advantages of a microgravity environment is long time evolution of atomic clouds which yields higher sensitivities in atom interferometer measurements. We give a full description of the system containing an experimental chamber with ultra-high vacuum conditions, miniaturized laser systems, a high-power thulium-doped fiber laser, the electronics and the power management. In a two-stage magneto-optical trap atoms should be cooled to the low μK regime. The thulium-doped fiber laser will create an optical dipole trap which will allow further cooling to sub- μK temperatures. The presented system fulfills the demanding requirements on size and power management for cold atom experiments on a microgravity platform, especially with respect to the use of an optical dipole trap. A first test in microgravity, including the creation of a cold Rb ensemble, shows the functionality of the system.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge support by the German Space Agency DLR with funds provided by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) under grant number DLR 50 WM 1142.

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Correspondence to Sascha Kulas.

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Kulas, S., Vogt, C., Resch, A. et al. Miniaturized Lab System for Future Cold Atom Experiments in Microgravity. Microgravity Sci. Technol. 29, 37–48 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12217-016-9524-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12217-016-9524-7

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