FreezeRay (Compact laser cooled cold atom source)

继诺贝尔奖获得者发现激光可以将原子冷却到极低的温度后，人们对潜在的应用进行了广泛的研究。冷原子的实验室实验已经实现了在惯性导航和计时方面比传统原子钟大约1000倍的步长变化。量子技术(Qt)正在形成一个新的市场，它将彻底改变我们日常生活的方方面面。基于Coldatom的QT设备现在正在形成下一代传感设备，包括原子钟(卫星自由导航、金融和电力同步)、重力仪(军事、地下和地下探测)和安全通信(银行和信息交换)。每个QT设备将需要一个冷原子源。用传统的方法，产生冷原子云所需的子系统通常占据实验室的很大一部分。这些子系统的创建和随后的集成也意味着大量的时间投入，实验通常需要几个月到一年的时间才能实现充分优化的云。传统系统的过大和复杂肯定会阻碍QT设备挖掘其完整的市场潜力。要实现这一点，就需要大幅提高这些系统的机动性，要求它们变得更小、更坚固。这将有助于Qt设备变得便携，允许它们离开实验室环境，成为技术而不是研究仪器。此外，要让Qt设备影响到不同的市场，就必须将其商业化，并支持供应链的创建，从而降低成本并提高可靠性。该项目的目标是通过开发一种名为FreezeRay的“一体式”设备来实现这一点，该设备将能够作为各种冷原子实验的核心引擎。这将通过发展一种新型的全光纤激光系统和开发一种具有有限抽运依赖性的小型真空系统来实现。由此产生的集成组件将成为众多后续Qt设备或实验的中心。为了开发FreezeRay引擎，我们成立了一个由两个工业合作伙伴和一个学术合作伙伴组成的联盟。伯明翰大学的冷原子小组通过真空和激光系统的新发展，在冷原子系统的小型化方面拥有强大的背景。UOB将把他们的知识应用到系统设计阶段，确保设计规范将提供适合集成到QT设备中的冷原子源。Gooch&Housego将应用他们在光子学方面的世界领先专业知识，与控制和稳定电子产品一起开发一种完全基于光纤的激光系统。激光系统将采用电信激光光源的倍频。这使得系统可以基于电信技术，降低了成本，提高了可靠性。E2v将利用他们在开发小型自给式真空电池方面的强大背景，创建一种新颖而紧凑的真空系统，然后将其与激光系统集成在一起。在该单元完成后，大华银行将对该系统进行特征描述和评估。

Following the Nobel Prize winning discovery that lasers can cool atoms to extremely low temperatures there has beenextensive research into potential applications. Laboratory experiments with cold atoms have realised a step change ofapproximately 1000 times improvement in both inertial navigation and in timing over conventional atomic clocks. TheseQuantum Technologies (QT) are emerging to form a new market that will revolutionise many aspects of our daily lives. Coldatom based QT devices are now forming the next generation of sensing equipment, including atomic clocks (satellite-freenavigation, finance and power synchronisation), gravimeters (military, underground and sub-surface detection) and securecommunications (banking and information exchange).Each QT device will require a source of cold atoms. With a conventional approach the sub-systems required for producingcold atom clouds typically occupy a large fraction of a laboratory. The creation and subsequent integration of these subsystemsalso represents a significant time commitment, with experiments often requiring several months to a year beforeachieving a sufficiently optimised cloud.The excessive size and complexity of conventional systems will certainly hinder QT devices from exploring their completemarket potential. Achieving this will require a drastic improvement in the mobility of such systems, requiring them tobecome smaller and more robust. This will facilitate QT devices becoming portable, allowing them to leave the laboratorysetting and to become technology rather than research apparatus. Furthermore, for QT devices to impact upon a diverserange of markets it is necessary to commercialise and support the creation of a supply chain, driving down costs andincreasing reliability.The aim of this project is to enable this through development of an "all-in-one" unit, the FreezeRay, which will be able tofunction as the core engine for a variety of cold atom experiments. This will be achieved through advancement of a novelall-fibre based laser system and the development of a small form factor vacuum system with limited pumping dependence.The resulting integrated package will then form the centre point for numerous follow on QT devices or experiments.To develop the FreezeRay engine we have formed a consortium of two industrial and one academic partners. TheUniversity of Birmingham, Cold atoms group possesses a strong background in miniaturisation of cold atom systems,through novel developments in vacuum and laser systems. UoB will apply their knowledge to the system design phase,ensuring the design specifications will provide a cold atom source suitable for integration into QT devices. Gooch &Housego will apply their world leading expertise in photonics to develop a fully fibre based laser system alongside thecontrol and stabilisation electronics. The laser system will employ frequency doubling of a telecom laser source. This allowsmuch of the system to be based upon telecom technology, reducing cost and improving reliability. e2v will use their strongbackground in the development of small, self-contained vacuum cells to create a novel and compact vacuum system whichthey will then integrate with the laser system. Following completion of the unit, UoB will characterise and evaluate thesystem.