Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics Seminar

The prospects for compact inertial sensors and magnetometers based on cold atoms have motivated research in tailored potentials for use as atom guides and traps. In this talk, I will describe our recent experiments on atom confinement in blue-detuned optical potentials. We have used spatial light modulation to create a variety of all-optical traps and guides that allow long measurement times in a “field-free” environment. I will highlight some of the interesting optical propagation characteristics, and discuss atom confinement in crossed hollow beam and single-beam toroidal traps. Measurements of the photon scattering rates highlight some of the benefits of these traps. These properties have enabled us to perform sensitive magnetometry through Faraday spectroscopy.