Toward magnetic trapping of isotopes of hydrogen

ORAL

Abstract

Over the past decades, spectroscopy of atomic hydrogen has enabled precision measurements of many fundamental physical quantities. Today, the trapping of hydrogen and its isotopes remains an important goal in physics. One promising technique for obtaining such samples is magnetic deceleration of a supersonic beam, via an ``atomic coilgun.'' In this work, we present progress toward magnetically trapping deuterium in a simple room-temperature apparatus, which includes the coilgun and a solid-state laser system for addressing the 1S-2S transition. We also discuss prospects for cooling samples of hydrogen, deuterium, and tritium through the recently discovered technique of single-photon cooling.

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Authors

  • Robert Clark

    Department of Physics and Center for Nonlinear Dynamics, The University of Texas at Austin

  • Adam Libson

    The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Physics and Center for Nonlinear Dynamics, The University of Texas at Austin

  • S. Travis Bannerman

    Department of Physics and Center for Nonlinear Dynamics, The University of Texas at Austin

  • Thomas Mazur

    Department of Physics and Center for Nonlinear Dynamics, The University of Texas at Austin

  • Isaac Chavez

    Department of Physics and Center for Nonlinear Dynamics, The University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at Austin

  • Mark Raizen

    The University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at Austin, Department of Physics and Center for Nonlinear Dynamics, The University of Texas at Austin