Simple Magneto-Optical and Magnetic Traps for Dysprosium

Liam Domett-Potts; Lucile Sanchez; Charlotte Hayton; Oscar Stone; Nuttida Kaewart; Piyawat Chatchaichompu; Narupon Chattrapiban; Nithiwadee Thaicharoen; Mikkel F. Andersen

arXiv · 2602.09403

Simple Magneto-Optical and Magnetic Traps for Dysprosium

Liam Domett-Potts·Lucile Sanchez·Charlotte Hayton·Oscar Stone·Nuttida Kaewart·Piyawat Chatchaichompu·Narupon Chattrapiban·Nithiwadee Thaicharoen·Mikkel F. Andersen

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Abstract

Dysprosium (Dy) is the most magnetic element on the periodic table, making it excellent for studying dipolar atom-atom interactions. We report on a simple Dy MOT that captures atoms directly from the thermal beam using a single diode-laser system to generate the light. Additionally, the atoms are magnetically confined by the quadrupole magnetic field that also facilitates the MOT. The MOT loading time is $\tau_\text{b} = 26~\text{ms}$. Atoms can decay to a dark state that is magnetically trapped. The time constant for loading into this magnetic trap is $\tau_\text{d} = 410~\text{ms}$. The total magnetically trapped population is $1.14\times10^{5}$ atoms, with $85\%$ residing in the dark states. The magnetically trapped atoms have a temperature of $28~\mu\text{K}$, significantly below the Doppler limit. This population fulfills the requirements for a range of future experiments.

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Liam Domett-Potts, Lucile Sanchez, Charlotte Hayton, Oscar Stone, Nuttida Kaewart, Piyawat Chatchaichompu, Narupon Chattrapiban, Nithiwadee Thaicharoen, Mikkel F. Andersen. 2026-02-10. Simple Magneto-Optical and Magnetic Traps for Dysprosium. https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.09403

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