Date of Award
2015
Document Type
Honors Thesis (Open Access)
Department
Colby College. Physics and Astronomy Dept.
Advisor(s)
Duncan A. Tate
Abstract
The number density of cold atoms confined in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) is critically dependent on the intensity of the lasers used to cool the sample. To generate large optical powers while retaining the practicality of homemade external cavity diode lasers (ECDLs), a tapered amplifier (TA) system was designed and constructed to amplify the output of an existing 780 nm, continuous-wave ECDL. The amplifier’s performance is discussed in terms of its gain and power output. Under standard operating conditions, optical amplification of 12 dB is achieved, with a maximum power output of 0.75 W. The completed amplifier is installed into an existing MOT at Colby College, and its effect is analyzed in terms of the number density of trapped samples of rubidium-85. MOT measurements are given demonstrating an increase in these number densities by a factor of ten. We conclude with initial results to quantify the amplifier’s effect on the dynamics of ultra-cold plasmas created from the trapped atom samples.
Keywords
Tapered Amplifier, Plasma, MOT, Laser, Rubidium, Ultra-Cold Plasma
Recommended Citation
Cole, Ryan, "Construction and Optimization of a Tapered Amplifier System for Applications in Ultra-Cold Plasma Research" (2015). Honors Theses. Paper 749.https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/honorstheses/749
Copyright
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Included in
Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Commons, Optics Commons, Plasma and Beam Physics Commons