A new apparatus for studies of quantized vortex dynamics in dilute-gas Bose-Einstein condensates.

摘要

The presence of quantized vortices and a high level of control over trap geometries and other system parameters make dilute-gas Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) a natural environment for studies of vortex dynamics and quantum turbulence in superfluids, primary interests of the BEC group at the University of Arizona. Such research may lead to deeper understanding of the nature of quantum fluid dynamics and far-from-equilbrium phenomena.;Despite the importance of quantized vortex dynamics in the fields of superfluidity, superconductivity and quantum turbulence, direct imaging of vortices in trapped BECs remains a significant technical challenge. This is primarily due to the small size of the vortex core in a trapped gas, which is typically a few hundred nanometers in diameter. In this dissertation I present the design and construction of a new 87Rb BEC apparatus with the goal of studying vortex dynamics in trapped BECs. The heart of the apparatus is a compact vacuum chamber with a custom, all-glass science cell designed to accommodate the use of commercial high-numerical-aperture microscope objectives for in situ imaging of vortices.;The designs for the new system are, in part, based on prior work in our group on in situ imaging of vortices. Here I review aspects of our prior work and discuss some of the successes and limitations that are relevant to the new apparatus. The bulk of the thesis is used to described the major subsystems of the new apparatus which include the vacuum chamber, the laser systems, the magnetic transfer system and the final magnetic trap for the atoms. Finally, I demonstrate the creation of a BEC of ∼ 2 x 106 87Rb atoms in our new system and show that the BEC can be transferred into a weak, spherical, magnetic trap with a well defined magnetic field axis that may be useful for future vortex imaging studies.