Compact magneto-optical traps using planar optics

Magneto-optical traps (MOTs) composed of magnetic fields and light fields have been widely utilized to cool andconfine microscopic particles. Practical technology applications require miniaturized MOTs. The advancement of planaroptics has promoted the development of compact MOTs. In this article, we review the development of compact MOTs basedon planar optics. First, we introduce the standardMOTs. We then introduce the gratingMOTs with micron structures, whichhave been used to build cold atomic clocks, cold atomic interferometers, and ultra-cold sources. Further, we introducethe integrated MOTs based on nano-scale metasurfaces. These new compact MOTs greatly reduce volume and powerconsumption, and provide new opportunities for fundamental research and practical applications.

Magneto-optical Kerr Effect of Mono-layer NiX_(2)(X=Cl,Br,I):A Density Functional Theory Study

The full-potential linearized augmented plane wave plus local orbital method is utilized for exploring the electronic,magnetic,and magneto-optical properties of the NiX_(2)(X=Cl,Br,and I)single layer.The first-principles calculation demonstrates that these compounds are ferromagnetic indirect semiconductors,and the energy band gaps of NiX_(2)for X=Cl,Br,and I are 3.888,3.134,and 2.157 eV,respectively.The magnetic moments of Ni atoms in NiX_(2)monolayer are 1.656,1.588,1.449μB,and their magneto-crystalline anisotropy energies are 0.167,0.029,0.090 meV,respectively.Based on the macro-linear response theory,we systematically studied the influences of the external magnetic field and out-of-plane strain on the magneto-optical Kerr effect(MOKE)spectrum of the NiX_(2)single layer.It is found that,when the external magnetic field is perpendicular to the sample plane,the value of the Kerr rotation angle reaches the maximum,and the single-layer NiI_(2)material has a Kerr rotation angle of 1.89°at the photon energy of 1.986 eV.Besides,the Kerr rotation spectrum of NiCl_(2)and NiBr_(2)monolayers redshift as the out-of-plane strain increases,while NiI_(2)monolayer blueshifts.Accurate computation of the MOKE spectrum of NiX_(2)materials provides an opportunity for applications of 2D magnetic material ranging from sensing to data storing.

Magneto-optical effect of TEB30A liquid crystal doped with thulium oxides

The influences of an external magnetic field on the optical properties of the TEB30A nematic liquid crystal doped with thulium oxides （Gd203, Dy203, Nd203, Y203, and Sm203） are studied. It is shown that a magnetic field applied parallelly to the sample cell surface leads to the rotational orientation of mesogenes. All samples except for the sample doped with Sm203 nanoparticles undergo structural deformations. The behavior of the TEB30A/Sm203 differs from those of the TEB30A liquid crystal doped with other four nanoparticles. The presence of Sm203 nanoparticles in the TEB30A liquid crystal does not cause the structural deformation of the liquid crystal matrix. At the same time, the anchoring type of the liquid crystal molecules on the nanoparticle surface is different. The director n is parallel to the magnetic moment/~ in the TEB30A/Sm203, and inclined to the magnetic moment/~ in the TEB30A/Nd203, and perpendicular to the magnetic moment/~ in each of TEB30A/Gd203, TEB30A/Dy203, and TEB30A/Y203. Besides, the dependence of the structural deformation on the critical magnetic field for the TEB30A is obtained.

Study of magnetization reversal and anisotropy of single crystalline ultrathin Fe/MgO (001) film by magneto-optic Kerr effect

The magnetization reversal process of Fe/MgO （001） thin film is investigated by combining transverse and longi- tudinal hysteresis loops. Owing to the competition between domain wall pinning energy and weak uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, the typical magnetization reversal process of Fe ultrathin film can take place via either an ＂l-jump＂ process near the easy axis, or a ＂2-jump＂ process near the hard axis, depending on the applied field orientation. Besides, the hysteresis loop presents strong asymmetry resulting from the variation of the detected light intensity due to the quadratic magneto-optic effect. Furthermore, we modify the detectable light intensity formula and simulate the hysteresis loops of the Kerr signal. The results show that they are in good agreement with the experimental data.

Influence of introducing Zr,Ti,Nb and Ce elements on externally solidified crystals and mechanical properties of high-pressure die-casting Al–Si alloy

High pressure die casting(HPDC)AlSi10Mn Mg alloy castings are widely used in the automobile industry.Mg can optimize the mechanical properties of castings through heat treatment,while the release of thermal stress arouses the deformation of large integrated die-castings.Herein,the development of non-heat treatment Al alloys is becoming the hot topic.In addition,HPDC contains externally solidified crystals(ESCs),which are detrimental to the mechanical properties of castings.To achieve high strength and toughness of non-heat treatment die-casting Al-Si alloy,we used AlSi9Mn alloy as matrix with the introduction of Zr,Ti,Nb,and Ce.Their influences on ESCs and mechanical properties were systematically investigated through three-dimensional reconstruction and thermodynamic simulation.Our results reveal that the addition of Ti increased ESCs'size and porosity,while the introduction of Nb refined ESCs and decreased porosity.Meanwhile,large-sized Al_3(Zr,Ti)phases formed and degraded the mechanical properties.Subsequent introduction of Ce resulted in the poisoning effect and reduced mechanical properties.

Novel Bi-substituted Yttrium Iron Garnet Film/Crystal Composite for Magneto-optical Applications

The novel Bi-substituted rare-earth iron garnet films were grown by the modified liquid phase epitaxy （LPE） technique for use as a 45° Faraday rotator in optical isolators.First,single crystals of Y3Fe5O12 （YIG）,with a lattice constant of 1.237 8 nm,were grown by means of the Czochralski method.Using the seed crystal of YIG instead of the conventional non-magnetic garnet of Gd3Ga5O12 （GGG） as a substrate,a film of BiYbIG was grown by means of the LPE method from Bi2O3-B2O3 fluxes.The structural,magnetic and magneto-optical properties of BiYbIG LPE film/YIG crystal composite have been investigated using directional X-ray diffraction （XRD）,electron probe microanalysis （EPMA）,vibrating sample magnetometer （VMS） and near-infrared transmission spectrometry.The saturation magnetization 4πMs has been estimated to be about 1.2×106 A/m.The Faraday rotation spectrum was measured by the method of rotating analyzer ellipsometry （RAE） with the wavelength varied from 800 nm to 1 700 nm.The resultant Bi0.37Yb2.63Fe5O12 LPE film/YIG crystal composite showed an increased Faraday rotation coefficient due to doping Bi3+ ions into the dodecahedral sites of the magnetic garnet without increasing absorption loss,therefore a good magneto-optic figure of merit,defined by the ratio of Faraday rotation and optical absorption loss,has been achieved of 21.5 and 30.2 （°）/dB at 1 300 and 1 550 nm wavelengths respectively and room temperature. Since Yb3+ and Y3+ ions provide the opposite contribution to the wideband and temperature characteristics of Faraday rotation,the values of Faraday rotation wavelength and temperature coefficients were reduced to 0.06 %/nm and 0.007 （°）/℃ at 1 550 nm wavelength, respectively.

Temperature-Dependent Dielectric Characterization of Magneto-Optical Tb_3Sc_2Al_3O_(12) Crystal Investigated by Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy

Terbium scandium aluminum garnet(TSAG) crystals have been widely used in magneto-optical systems. We investigate the complex refractive index of the TSAG crystal in the terahertz frequency range using terahertz(THz) time-domain spectroscopy in the temperature range 100–300 K. It is observed that the refractive index and the absorption coefficient increase with the THz frequency. The refractive index increases with the temperature.We measure the temperature coefficient of the refractive index of the TSAG crystal in the frequency range 0.4–1.4 THz. Furthermore, the loss tangent, i.e., the ratio of experimental values of the imaginary and real part of the dielectric permittivity, is found to be almost independent of frequency. TSAG is very promising for applications in THz optoelectronics because it has a high dielectric constant, low loss, and low thermal coefficient of the dielectric constant.

Single atoms transferring between a magneto-optical trap and a far-off-resonance optical dipole trap

Based on our work on single cesium atoms trapped in a large-magnetic-gradient vapour-cell magneto-optical trap （MOT）, the signal-to-noise ratio （SNR） is remarkably improved. Also a far-off-resonance optical dipole trap （FORT） formed by a strongly-focused 1064 nm single frequency Nd：YVO4 laser beam is introduced. One cesium atom is prepared in the MOT, and then it can transfer successfully between the MOT and the FORT which is overlapped with the MOT. Utilizing the effective transfer, the lifetime of single atoms trapped in the FORT is measured to be 6.9± 0.3 s. Thus we provide a system where the atomic qubit can be coherently manipulated.

Observation of single neutral atoms in a large-magnetic-gradient vapour-cell magneto-optical trap

Single caesium atoms in a large-magnetic-gradient vapour-cell magneto-optical trap have been identified. The trapping of individual atoms is marked by the steps in fluorescence signal corresponding to the capture or loss of single atoms. The typical magnetic gradient is about 29 mT/cm, which evidently reduces the capture rate of magneto-optical trap.

Continuously transferring cold atoms in caesium double magneto-optical trap

We have established a caesium double magneto-optical trap （MOT） system for cavity-QED experiment, and demonstrated the continuous transfer of cold caesium atoms from the vapour-cell MOT with a pressure of - 1 × 10^-6 Pa to the ultra-high-vacuum （UHV） MOT with a pressure of - 8 × 10^-8 Pa via a focused continuous-wave transfer laser beam. The effect of frequency detuning as well as the intensity of the transfer beam is systematically investigated, which makes the transverse cooling adequate before the atoms leak out of the vapour-cell MOT to reduce divergence of the cold atomic beam. The typical cold atomic flux got from vapour-cell MOT is - 2 × 10^7 atoms/s. About 5 × 10^6 caesium atoms are recaptured in the UHV MOT.

Enhanced cold mercury atom production with two-dimensional magneto-optical trap

A cold atom source is important for quantum metrology and precision measurement.To reduce the quantum projection noise limit in optical lattice clock,one can increase the number of cold atoms and reduce the dead time by enhancing the loading rate.In this work,we realize an enhanced cold mercury atom source based on a two-dimensional(2D)magnetooptical trap(MOT).The vacuum system is composed of two titanium chambers connected with a differential pumping tube.Two stable cooling laser systems are adopted for the 2D-MOT and the three-dimensional(3D)-MOT,respectively.Using an optimized 2D-MOT and push beam,about 1.3×10^(6)atoms,which are almost an order of magnitude higher than using a pure 3D-MOT,are loaded into the 3D-MOT for202Hg atoms.This enhanced cold mercury atom source is helpful in increasing the frequency stability of a neutral mercury lattice clock.

Non-Intrusive Magneto-Optic Detecting System for Investigations of Air Switching Arcs

In current investigations of electric arc plasmas, experiments based on modern testing technology play an important role. To enrich the testing methods and contribute to the understanding and grasping of the inherent mechanism of air switching arcs, in this paper, a nonintrusive detecting system is described that combines the magneto-optic imaging（MOI） technique with the solution to inverse electromagnetic problems. The detecting system works in a sequence of main steps as follows： MOI of the variation of the arc flux density over a plane, magnetic field information extracted from the magneto-optic（MO） images, arc current density distribution and spatial pattern reconstruction by inverting the resulting field data. Correspondingly, in the system, an MOI set-up is designed based on the Faraday effect and the polarization properties of light, and an intelligent inversion algorithm is proposed that involves simulated annealing（SA）.Experiments were carried out for high current（2 kA RMS） discharge cases in a typical low-voltage switchgear. The results show that the MO detection system possesses the advantages of visualization, high resolution and response, and electrical insulation, which provides a novel diagnostics tool for further studies of the arc.

Effects of exchange interaction and spin-fluctuation on the magnetic and magneto-optic properties of NdF_3

The exchange interaction between the electrons in the different magnetic ions and the spin-fluctuation of the magnetic ions exist in the paramagnetic media NdF3. The exchange interaction between the electrons in the different magnetic ions may be equivalent to an effective field Hin that is in direct proportion to the magnetization M. The spin-fluctuation of the magnetic ions leads the coefficient of the effective field to vary with temperature. The effective field is given as Hin = -（0.75 ＋ 0.22T） × 10^-5M in NdF3. When the secondary crystal field effect is taken into account, the magnetic susceptibility and Verdet constant are calculated for NdF3 by means of the effective field Hin and the applied field He. The calculated results are in agreement with the measured ones.

Glass-forming Ability and Chemical Stability of Magneto-optical Glass Heavily Doped with Rare Earth Oxide

The glass-forming region of B2O3-Al2O3-SiO2 （BAS） glass heavily doped with rare earth oxides was investigated by an effective method, and the chemical stability was investigated by powder method. Influences of rare earth oxides on the glass-forming ability and the chemical stability of the BAS glass were also discussed. The experimental results show that the BAS glass-forming region expands firstly with the increase of the Tb2O3 content up to 30mol% and then shrinks. The acid-resistant capacity of the BAS glass doped with rare earth oxides is the lowest, the water-resistant capacity is secondary, and the alkali-resistant capacity is the best. Besides, the glass chemical stability can be improved by doping appropriate amount of rare earth oxides. Moreover, the stronger the ionic polarization ability of the rare earth ions is, the better the chemical stability of the BAS glass will be.

Determination of the magnetic anisotropy constant of Cu/Fe/SiO_2/Si by a magneto-optical Kerr effect susceptometer

The magneto-optical Kerr effect susceptometry technique is proposed to determine the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy （UMA） constant Ku. The magnetic properties of Cu/Fe/SiO2/Si grown by dc magnetron sputtering were investigated. The in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy was probed by the magneto-optical Kerr effect （MOKE）. The value of UMA, Ku = 2.5 x 103 J/m3, was simulated from the field dependence of ac susceptibility along the hard axis according to the Stoner-Wohlfarth （S-W） model, which is consistent with Ku = 2.7~ 103 J/m3 calculated from the magnetic hysteresis loops. Our results show that the magneto-optical Kerr effect susceptometry can be employed to determine the magnetic anisotropy constant owing to its high sensitivity.

A Single Folded Beam Magneto-Optical Trap System for Neutral Mercury Atoms

Mercury is a promising candidate for the optical lattice clock, due to its low sensitivity to the blackbody radiation. We develop a single folded beam magneto-optical trap for the neutral mercury optical lattice clock, with a 253. 7nm frequency quadrupled laser. Up to 1.7 × 10^6 （202Hg） or 1.5 × 10^6 （199Hg） atoms can be captured, and the atom temperature is lowered to 170μK （202Hg） or 50μK （199Hg）. The cold atom signals of all six rich abundant isotopes are observed in this system.

Study of magnetic and magneto-optical properties of heavily doped bismuth substitute yttrium iron garnet (Bi∶YIG) film

The magnetic and magneto-optical properties of heavily doped Bi∶YIG film were studied. The film was deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering method and crystallized by rapid recurrent thermal annealing (RRTA). The results show that the RRTA treated film has good properties both in microwave and optical wave band. The saturation magnetization of the film on different substrates varies from 135.7 to 138.6 kA·m-1. The coercive field of the film on GGG substrate is about 0.32 kA·m-1, while about 0.8-1.43 kA·m-1 on YAG substrate and 1.75 kA·m-1 on Al2O3 substrate. The Faraday angle is about 3-5 (°)·μm-1 when optical wavelength ranges at 450-600 nm. The transmission spectra of the Bi∶YIG films on three substrates has similar change as annealing temperature below 800 ℃. Specially, when annealing temperature is above 800 ℃ a step is observed between 550 and 650 nm wavelength for the film deposited on Al2O3 substrate.Three results are very useful in magneto-optical recording application and integrated microwave devices.

Influence of Magnetic Field Inhomogeneity on a Magneto-Optical Current Sensor

The growth in the capacity of electric power system creates a demand for the protection of relaying systems. Optical current transducers—OCT that are mainly made up of single mode optical fibers which are subjected to Faraday rotation are used as a replacement for electromagnetic transducers due to their immunity to electromagnetic interference. However, the principal parameter in this system, the sensitivity to magnetic fields or current, depends on the Verdet constant, which is low in the case of optical fibers. However, the optical path length can be increased to compensate for it by winding the fiber around a current carrying element a large number of turns. In this work, we study a current sensor, which is made up of a conductor coil with a fiber inside, thus increasing sensitivity. We study the effect of the inhomogeneity of the magnetic field induced by the current on the sensitivity of the optical fiber sensor.

Resonant magneto-optical Kerr effect induced by hybrid plasma modes in ferromagnetic nanovoids

With nanovoids buried in Co films, resonant structures were observed in spectra of polar magneto-optical Kerr effect（MOKE）, where both a narrow bandwidth and high intensity were acquired. Through changing the thickness of Co films and the lattice of voids, different optical modes were introduced. For a very shallow array of voids, the resonant MOKE was induced by Ag plasma edge resonance, for deeper ones, hybrid plasma modes, such as void plasmons in the voids, surface lattice plasmons between the voids, and the co-action of them, etc. resulted in resonant MOKE. We found that resonant MOKE resulted from the void plasmons resonance which possesses the narrowest bandwidth for the lowest absorption of voids. The simulated electromagnetic field（EF） distribution consolidated different effects of these three optical modes on resonant MOKE modulation. Such resonant polar MOKE possesses high sensitivity, which might pave the way to on-chip MO devices.

Magneto-Optic Fiber Bragg Gratings with Application to High-Resolution Magnetic Field Sensors

Magneto-optic fiber Bragg gratings （MFBG） based on magneto-optic materials have a lot of potential applications for sensing and optical signal processing. The transmission and reflection spectra of guided optical waves in the MFBG are investigated. According to the sensitivity of MFBG spectral lines to the magneto-optic coupling intensity varying with applied magnetic field, a novel magnetic field sensor of high-resolution up to 0.01 nm/（kA/m） is predicted.