Type-ll Blue-detuned MOT for Cesium and Lithium

Red-detuned type-I magneto-optical traps (MOTs) are an essential tool in atomic physics, relying on red detuning to produce a velocity-dependent cooling force and on closed cycling transitions to avoid population loss into dark states. Recently, blue-detuned type-II MOTs have emerged as an alternative cooling technique, using blue-detuned light and type-II transitions to intentionally exploit dark states and enable sub-Doppler cooling. We report the realization of a type-ll MOT for cesium using several different type-II transitions and characterize its cooling behavior. We also present our progress toward implementing a type-ll MOT for lithium, highlighting challenges associated with its unresolved excited-state hyperfine structure.