A three-dimensional magneto-optical trap (MOT), acting as an efficient method for producing cold atoms from room-temperature atomic vapor, has been widely used to develop atomic sensors. Various compact MOTs using a single laser beam have been reported, simplifying apparatuses and leading to miniaturized devices. Here, we propose single-beam MOTs based on back-to-back pyramidal and conical mirrors. In such back-to-back mirrors, a MOT trapping volume is formed by an incident laser beam, a retroreflected beam, and multiple reflections from the mirror surfaces. We present the design of back-to-back mirrors and a series of compact MOT configurations, with the potential of increasing access to the MOT and simultaneously creating multiple MOTs. We demonstrate a MOT in a back-to-back conical mirror, loading ∼1 × ${10}^7$ ${}^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ atoms from background vapor and cooling the atoms to ∼7 µK using polarization gradients. Single-beam MOTs based on back-to-back mirrors contribute to building compact and scalable cold-atom-based sensors.

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• Cold atoms & matter waves
• Laser applications
• Magneto-optics
• Quantum sensing
• Atomic gases
• Devices
• Ultracold gases
• Cooling & trapping