Photonic MEMS Vacuum Trap For Cold Atoms

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This project aims to develop completely new ways to trap atoms using integrated photonics so the project is looking to pioneer completely new science and technology approaches to cold atoms. Integrating diode laser with photonic cavities and MEMS vacuum chambers will allow the trapping and control of atoms by light. The work is supported by the UK Quantum Technology Programme and the Royal Academy of Engineering. Trapping atoms with light enables atoms to be cooled to below microKelvin temperatures resulting in the most accurate set of sensors that can be used for timing, measuring acceleration, rotation or gravity. Trapped atoms can also form qubits and are also being used to build quantum computers. Such sensors presently require large vacuum chambers with high power lasers to trap atoms with hundreds of Watts of power for operation. This project aims to miniaturize these atom traps using the diode lasers similar to CD/DVD players combined with optical cavities integrated with atoms in MEMS vacuum systems aiming to reduce the size, weight and power to allow these sensors to reduce to the size of a mobile phone and to be powered by batteries.