Physics & Astronomy - Senior Honor Thesis - Anne Woronecki, Dartmouth College

Title: "Optical Trapping and Transportation of an Ultracold Atomic Cloud Using a Focus Tunable Lens"

May 23, 2018
1 pm - 3 pm
Location
Wilder 115
Sponsored by
Physics & Astronomy Department
Audience
Public
More information
Tressena Manning
603-646-2854

Abstract: This thesis describes the design and construction of an optical system that traps and transports an ultracold atomic cloud of lithium-6 atoms.  Using a single focus tunable lens, we are able to control the focal position and the diffraction limited Gaussian beam waist of a 1068 nm beam.  The setup of this dipole trap allows us to vary the focal position of the beam at a constant waist, which provides uniform trapping conditions over the full 221 mm positional displacement.  Additionally, the waist size of the final focal point of the dipole beam can be adjusted, changing the size of the trapped atomic cloud.  By varying the optical power of the electrically tunable lens we can quickly change the position of the trap without inducing vibrations that could cause the atoms to heat up.  This  allows us to move the atomic cloud from where it is first confined in a magneto-optical trap to a science chamber, where experiments probing the nature of macroscopic quantum phenomena can be performed

Location
Wilder 115
Sponsored by
Physics & Astronomy Department
Audience
Public
More information
Tressena Manning
603-646-2854