Alexandra Crawford | Searcharxiv

arXiv2026

Enhanced stability from co-resonant cavities in a monolithic array

We demonstrate a micro-Fabry-P\'erot cavity array through laser etching of high-surface-quality mirrors onto a single fused silica substrate. A cavity finesse of $4750\pm 200$ was achieved with a simple array design with $500~\mu m$ cavity length, $100~\mu m$ diameter micromirrors and $300~\mu m$ transverse separation. Arrays with up to 12 cavities were simultaneously tested for single mode operation, and absolute frequency measurements correlated strongly with the etched depth as measured by profilometry. Simultaneous measurements of the absolute resonant frequency for neighboring cavities showed a factor of 5 common-mode cavity drift reduction. Arrays of such cavities can be employed in chip-scale cavity QED networks (current cooperativity estimates are at the border of strong coupling for $^{87}$Rb atoms, $C=1$) as well as for precise laser stabilization at nearby wavelengths on a chip.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2022

Collimated versatile atomic beam source with alkali dispensers

Alkali metal dispensers have become an indispensable tool in the production of atomic vapors for magnetometry, alkali vapor cell clocks, and laser cooling experiments. A primary advantage of these dispensers is that they contain alkali metal in an inert form that can be exposed to air without hazard. However, their high temperature of operation (>600 C) is undesirable for many applications, as it shifts the atomic speed distribution to higher values and presents a radiative heat source that can raise the temperature of its surroundings. For this reason, dispensers are typically not used in line-of-sight applications such as atomic beam generation. In this work, we present an integrated rubidium dispenser collimating device with a thickness of only 2 mm that produces a beam of atoms traveling primarily in the forward direction. We find that the collimator plate serves to both shield the dispenser's radiation as well as to moderate the velocity of the atomic beam so that the measured longitudinal speed distribution is comparable to that of an ordinary alkali oven at only a slightly elevated temperature of 200 C. To confirm our theory, we also constructed another compact apparatus consisting of a dispenser and a silicon collimator and the measurements support our conclusion. Our integrated dispenser collimator will particularly be useful in integrated photonics and cavity QED on chip, where a localized, directed source of Rb vapor in small quantities is needed.

physics.atom-ph↗