Characteristics of a 2-D Magneto-Optical-Trap

The 2D Magneto-Optical-Trap (MOT) produces a cold collimated Rubidium ($^{87}$Rb) atomic beam in a compact set up. The 2D MOT is in a stainless steel vacuum system, and requires a gradient of magnetic field as well as two different laser frequencies, one for cooling through a cycling transition and one for re-pumping atoms that fall into the wrong state. The vacuum system has four vacuum windows to allow retroflection of the cooling beams, a dispenser that generates a vapor of Rb atoms. The lowest pressure attained is about 10$^{-10}$ mbar. We have produced the quadrupole field using first small permanent rare earth magnets, and then coils. Finally, the red-detuned cooling beam has a frequency offset a few MHz from transition frequency of $^{87}$Rb, 5 $^{2}$S$_{1/2}$ F$=$2 $\to$ 5 $^{2}$P$_{3/2}$ F$=$3) with a circular polarization. The optics arrangement is compact using fiber optics. We present here advances and results of the 2D MOT.