All-optical matter-wave lens using time-averaged potentials

Matter-wave sensors benefit from high flux cold atomic sources. Here, a time-averaged optical dipole trap is reported that generates Bose-Einstein condensates by fast evaporative cooling and further reduces the expansion by means of an all-optical matter-wave lens. The precision of matter-wave sensors benefits from interrogating large-particle-number atomic ensembles at high cycle rates. Quantum-degenerate gases with their low effective temperatures allow for constraining systematic errors towards highest accuracy, but their production by evaporative cooling is costly with regard to both atom number and cycle rate. In this work, we report on the creation of cold matter-waves using a crossed optical dipole trap and shaping them by means of an all-optical matter-wave lens. We demonstrate the trade off between lowering the residual kinetic energy and increasing the atom number by reducing the duration of evaporative cooling and estimate the corresponding performance gain in matter-wave sensors. Our method is implemented using time-averaged optical potentials and hence easily applicable in optical dipole trapping setups.

Automated summary

This study reports on the creation of cold matter-waves using a time-averaged optical dipole trap and shaping them with an all-optical matter-wave lens. The performance of matter-wave sensors can be improved by reducing the residual kinetic energy and increasing the atom number.