Optimization Methods for Cold-atom Grating Chip

LI Muming; WEI Shiming; QU Jifeng; DUAN Junyi; ZHOU Yadong

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1000-1158.2025.05.01

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Acta Metrologica Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (5) : 621-628. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-1158.2025.05.01

Optimization Methods for Cold-atom Grating Chip

LI Muming ¹^,³ ,
WEI Shiming ²^,⁴ ,
QU Jifeng ³ ,
DUAN Junyi ³ ,
ZHOU Yadong ¹

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Abstract

Magneto-optical trap （MOT） technology confines atoms by exciting σ ⁺ and σ ^- transitions. However， in traditional grating magneto-optical traps （GMOT）， limitations arise due to the uneven distribution of the force field acting on the atoms and the impact of polarization errors in the zeroth-order light on the atomic force. To address these issues， a novel grating chip design is proposed. The chip integrates a quarter-wave plate mirror internally， while the external structure consists of a conventional diffraction grating. After reflecting off the internal quarter-wave plate mirror， the incident light is converted into pure circular polarization aligned with the polarization direction of the incoming light. The external incident light undergoes diffraction through the grating. This design enhances the atomic force within the MOT and effectively eliminate the interference from zeroth-order light in the diffracted beam on the optical molasses. Calculations indicate that the new grating chip improves the maximum capture velocity by approximately 1.4 m/s compared to the traditional grating chip.

Key words

quantum metrology / time-frequency metrology / grating chip / cold atom / grating design / force analysis / magneto-optical trap

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LI Muming , WEI Shiming , QU Jifeng , et al . Optimization Methods for Cold-atom Grating Chip[J]. Acta Metrologica Sinica. 2025, 46(5): 621-628 https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1000-1158.2025.05.01

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