Chip-Scale Magnetic Source of Cold Atoms.

摘要

Numerous disruptive technologies are being hampered by the insufficient modern methods of cooling electrically neutral atoms and molecules. Microchip-based magnetic deceleration provides a cooling mechanism to slow most neutral atoms and molecules within the cost and size requirements of a real-world device. Simulations of a novel deceleration technique show 90% removal of kinetic energy from an atomic beam. An experiment is built which creates a time-dependent, decelerating magnetic eld to slow an atomic beam. An atomic beam is magnetically guided 800 microns above the surface of a microchip at pressures of 10(-9) Torr. A 60 independent wire microchip is fabricated, controlling 200 A currents through 150 micron wide wires with a 90% success rate. Flaws are identified and future efforts to correct them are discussed.