Chip-Scale Packages for a Tunable Wavelength Reference and Laser Cooling Platform
S. Dyer, Kevin Gallacher, Ugnė Hawley, Alan Bregazzi, Paul F. Griffin, Aidan S. Arnold, Douglas J. Paul, Erling Riis, J. P. McGilligan
Abstract
The miniaturization of cold-atom systems brings high accuracy into portable atomic metrology. However, the impact of cold-atom sensors in real-world applications has been limited by the overall laser cooling package. This study amalgamates a chip-scale optics setup with a microfabricated laser cooling system to dramatically reduce device size, weight, and power usage. The authors use an on-chip Zeeman offset lock for laser cooling, and demonstrate improved atom number afforded by new techniques in silicon cell fabrication. The simplicity, scalability, and utility demonstrated in this cold-atom platform will enable exciting opportunities in portable cold-atom clocks and interferometers.