A small, pump-free source for cold and ultracold atoms

A vacuum system with pressures typically below about 10-9 torr is required to mitigate thermal background collisions when producing Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) and other forms of ultracold matter. Traditional setups contain multiple vacuum chambers, often employ the use of large ion pumps, and take up significant space on a full-sized optical table. While ultracold matter has great potential in advanced applications, these large vacuum chambers and complex setups are considered a serious impediment to application development. In performing this project, Triad Technology will produce a vacuum chamber smaller than 5cm by 5cm by 5cm in size for use as a source of ultracold matter. The chamber will meet the necessary vacuum level requirements using a unique geometry that takes advantage of a novel processing and pumping techniques.