Towards a Beta Asymmetry Measurement of Polarized Radioactive Atoms in an Optical Dipole Trap

Laser cooled and trapped radioactive atoms provide an ideal sample for studying parity violation in beta decay. We present recent progress in undertaking a high precision beta-recoil measurement of radioactive $^{82}$Rb atoms in an optical tweezer. We have demonstrated the loading of $^{82}$Rb atoms from a magneto-optical trap (MOT) to a far off resonance dipole trap formed by a YAG laser. A preliminary study of the trap loading efficiency and optical pumping into a stretched state will be presented. In our improved beta asymmetry measurement, we plan to load $^{82}$Rb atoms from a MOT into an optical dipole tweezer and then beam the atoms down to a science chamber where the atoms will be polarized and their beta decay measured.