Latest news

First cold atoms in iSense

The iSense team in Birmingham reports on the creation of a magneto-optical trap (MOT) of Rubidium atoms using a low power atom chip designed and built at the University of Nottingham. This is the first step towards creating a compact gravity measurement device.

The atoms are trapped in a mirror MOT configuration using four laser beams, two of which are reflected from the chip surface. The magnetic fields are generated inside the chamber by the chip assembly.

In the next stage we will integrate compact lasers and electronics from our European partners. Upon completion, iSense will produce atom interferometry signals to measure gravity in the field.

Left: trapped atoms fluorescing and their reflection from the chip surface. Right: the iSense vacuum chamber featuring the gold-coated atom chip assembly.

MPAGS Summer School (Sept 2013)

For the second time, the Midlands Physics Alliance Graduate School (MPAGS), in collaboration with the University of Granada, is organizing a summer school that will be held in Granada, Spain, 15-19 September 2013.

This School, "Quantum Matter: Foundations and Applications", will feature tutorial-style lectures introducing themes of broad interest in the areas of cold atoms and molecules, quantum optics and condensed matter physics, quantum information and quantum interference and precision measurements.

Apply online. Application deadline is 30 June.

Bose-Einstein condensation of Rubidium

The team of the "disorder" experiment has achieved the Bose-Einstein condensation of Rubidium in their combined-species Rubidium-Potassium apparatus. The condensate was obtained after magnetically transporting a cloud of laser-cooled atoms in a science cell, and performing evaporative cooling first in the magnetic trap and then in a light dipole trap. The pictures below show the anisotropic expansion of the condensate. The thermal cloud, seen as a halo, expands isotropically.

Next steps will be to include fermionic Potassium and to study the combined dynamics in arbitrary two-dimensional potentials.

Absorption images of the condensate after increasing expansion times.

GG-TOP takes on mineral exploration

In the last issue of InnovOil, GG-TOP leader Kai Bongs explains the prospects and benefits of gravity gradient mapping with cold atom technology.

Young Atom Opticans conference in Birmingham (YAO 2013)

8th April 2013 to 12th April 2013

YAO is a yearly conference whose main goal is to create an international society of young scientists who specialize in quantum optics with a special focus on cold atomic gases. During these meetings experimentalists as well as theorists have a chance to present their research and results while also taking part in thought provoking discussions on their topics, whether it be in the form of a short presentation or a poster during the poster session. The participants of this conference are usually young doctoral students, but the conference is also open to masters students or really any young scientist who are beginning their work in the field of atomic physics. Apply here before Friday 22 February 2013.

Achievement of Bose-Fermi mixtures in a magneto-optical trap

In the context of the Quantum Simulator project, the first magneto-optical trap for rubidium and potassium in the Quantum Matter group has beeen realised. The atoms are first trapped in a 2-dimensional magneto-optical trap to create a cold atom beam and then transferred by a pushing beam into another vacuum chamber where both species are retrapped by a six beam magneto-optical trap.

Fluorescence image of a Potassium 40 magneto-optical trap.

Published: potassium spectroscopies for laser frequency stabilization

Our work on sub-Doppler polarization spectroscopy and magnetic dichroism (ie, DAVLL) of potassium has been published in Optics Express [Opt. Exp. 20, 17456 (2012), arXiv:1205.0459]. The focus is on frequency-stabilizing lasers for experiments with cold atoms. This is a companion piece to our earlier work using modulation spectroscopy [J. Phys. B 45, 065002 (2012), arXiv:112.4998]. We plan to use our modified form of magnetically-induced dichroism in our experiment with cold atoms in a high-finesse ring cavity.

First 2D- and 3D-MOT with Strontium achieved! (June 2012)

Magneto-optical traps (MOT) in a high vacuum environment require a bright source of pre-cooled atoms. For Strontium, the standard technology is an atomic beam slowed down by laser from a hot oven. For the Strontium clock at Birmingham, we have implemented an alternative technology, borrowed from experiments which use alkaline atoms: a 2-dimensional magneto-optical trap which produces a stream of collimated atoms at one end of the trap. The magnetic quadrupole field is produced by permanent magnets, in a bid to reduce power consumption and increase portability.

Magnetic field of the 2D MOT (left) and fluorescent of the 3D MOT (right).

MUARC and MPAGS Summer School (Sept 2011)

The MUARC & MPAGS summer school on Quantum Matter: Foundations and New Trends will take place this year in Granada, Spain, on 18-22 September 2011. The school will provide a basis for new members of the community and deepen the knowledge of more experienced ones in the areas of quantum gases, quantum optics and condensed matter physics. Registration opens 31st March.

Watch the videos about last year's summer school and about cold atoms explained by the school lecturers!

PhD positions now open in Birmingham

We have positions to work on two exciting European projects, the "space optical clock" and the "integrated quantum sensor". More details on our jobs section.

MUARC Summer School (August 2010)

The MUARC summer school on Advanced Techniques in Atomic Physics will take place in Ardencote, near Birmingham, UK, on 22-27 August 2010. The school is intended to enable advanced graduate students or early post-docs to target the next step in their career. Registration is now open.

MUARC/MAPGS winter school (Dec 2009)

The joint MUARC/MPAGS winter school for advanced undergraduates and starting graduate students was held at the University of Nottingham on 13-15th December. The programme covered a broad range of topics currently investigated at MUARC such as quantum optics, quantum simulations with Rydberg atoms, atom chips, and quantum gases in optical lattices.

The next school will be held in August 2010 and will target advanced postgraduate students and young researchers.

Two new lecturers to join the Midlands Ultracold Atom Research Centre (1 Aug 2009)

Lucia Hackermüller and Jon Goldwin are joining MUARC. Lucia will be a Lecturer at the University of Nottingham and will study Lithium-Caesium cold molecules on an atom chip. Jon will be a Lecturer at the University of Birmingham and will study the interaction of ultracold fermionic Potassium with a single quantum optical field in a high-finesse cavity.

Openlab party at Birmingham (26 March 2009)

The openlab party celebrated the end of the refurbishment of the Cold Atom labs in Birmingham.