Feshbach Optimized Photoassociation of Rubidium Dimers
Abstract
We report the observation of three different Feshbach optimized photoassociation
resonances. The observations are in agreement with theoretical predictions
and prior experimental results except for the width of the transitions, which we
find to be narrower. This thesis details the steps that lead to this result, including
the construction of a cooling, trapping, and imaging apparatus for rubidium
atoms.
We also present the design of a zero-crossing Zeeman slower for 85Rb using
rings of flexible permanent magnets. The design is inexpensive, requires no power
or cooling, and can be easily attached and removed for vacuum maintenance. We
show theoretically that such a design can reproduce a magnetic field profile of a
standard zero-crossing Zeeman slower. Experimental measurements of a prototype
and comparisons to theoretical simulations demonstrate the feasibility of the design
and point toward future improvements.
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