Compact planar-coil magneto-optical trap for high-optical-depth elongated atomic clouds
Phys. Rev. Applied 25, 034088 – Published 27 March, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/bhwg-74l8
Abstract
We have developed a compact magneto-optical trap (MOT) that employs a two-dimensional (2D) quadrupole magnetic field generated by a double-layer planar coil with a single current source. The combination of the 2D quadrupole magnetic field with the mirror MOT expands the capture region, thereby enabling the trapping of a vast number of atoms and achieving a high optical depth (OD). Our results demonstrate that an elongated cold atomic cloud can contain up to cold atoms, attaining an OD of up to 33. This simplified and compact MOT presents an alternative technical solution for various applications involving quantum optics with cold atoms, preparation of degenerate quantum gases, as well as advancements in quantum sensing and metrology, among others.