DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF SCIENTIFIC APPARATUS FOR COLD ATOM EXPERIMENTS

Abstract

In this thesis, I will present the design and stabilization of the laser system and construction of our ultra-high vacuum(UHV) system as well as preliminary results of our magneto optical trap(MOT) for rubidium-87 atoms. The diode laser system described in this thesis helps us to cool the atoms to Doppler temperatures using the transition 5S1=2; F = 2 to 5P3=2; F0 = 3 and re-pump the atoms using the 5S1=2; F = 1 to 5P3=2; F0 = 2 transition in 87Rb. The laser frequency is locked using saturated absorption spectroscopy and the uncertainty in the lock is about 500kHz. The cooling is realized in two steps. Rubidium atoms coming out of the oven are slowed down using the Zeeman slower. Then the slowed atoms are captured and further cooled in the magneto-optical trap. In future the system would be used to do the sub Doppler cooling or the compressed MOT and then the BEC.