Loading rubidium atoms into a hollow core fiber

Abstract

We demonstrate a procedure for cooling, trapping, and transferring rubidium atoms into a hollow core photonic band gap fiber. The atoms are first collected in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) and then cooled using polarization gradient cooling. Magnetic traps are then used to confine and transfer the atoms toward the face of the fiber. An optical dipole trap formed using laser light propagating through the fiber guide the atoms and confine them away from the fiber walls. We hope to use this system to achieve large optical depths with possible applications to quantum computing.