Atomic Flux Circuits

摘要

Atomic vapors are a crucial platform for precision metrology but in their simplest implementation, a thermalvapor, the intrinsic optical resonances are broadened due to the random and isotropic thermal motion of theatoms. By structuring the container of a thermal vapor with narrow emission apertures, the velocity distributioncan be modi ed to create a directed beam of atoms.1 These atomic beams can then interact sequentially witha series of optical elds, or interaction zones, and ultimately allow precision control over the internal state ofthe atom. This is useful for optical frequency standards and precision spectroscopy2, 3 and may also provide themeans to build a simple ying qubit platform.4 Furthermore, atomic beams on a chip can be used as a compact,directed source to load magneto-optical traps (MOTs) while minimally increasing the ambient pressure.5 Weapply microfabrication techniques to microscopically structure silicon to deterministically control the ow of Rbbetween connected cavities. We describe a methodology to measure the experimental parameters that governthe ux of atomic vapors in these microfabricated structures with a goal of creating an equivalent electricalcircuit model. This toolkit will provide a simple platform for the creation of atomic beams on a chip withcontrollable pressure pro les and a thorough understanding of the inuence of adsorptive e ects and pseudo-ballistic trajectories on the resultant atomic beam.