A new degenerate Fermi gas apparatus

Abstract

In the summer of 2004, the BEC 2 lab of Wolfgang Ketterle's group at MIT started a new research direction of studying degenerate fermionic Lithium atoms in optical lattices. The major contributions to the new experimental setup are the Lithium laser system, a new imaging technique, and an advanced experiment control system. First, a tapered amplifier laser diode system is discussed. The laser is locked using an error signal generated using frequency modulation of saturated absorption spectroscopy of Lithium Vapor. The laser is then locked using a PID controller. Second, a new imaging system is developed. The imaging system is designed to eliminate noise generated by the mechanical vibrations of the machine. The system relies on taking multiple images with time scale shorter than typical vibration periods. Third, a new experiment control system is developed. The new control system replaced the outdated 8 years old control system by providing us with more channels and speed, combined with an automation feature. The new system is designed to accommodate more complex experiments in the future.