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Full-Text Articles in Physics
Dual Species Calcium And Ytterbium Magneto Optical Trap, Alexander Erickson, Scott Bergeson
Dual Species Calcium And Ytterbium Magneto Optical Trap, Alexander Erickson, Scott Bergeson
Journal of Undergraduate Research
One area of particular interest in modern physics research is creating a viable fusion system for sustainable energy. Fusion occurs when a high energy plasma is manipulated in such a way that small atoms collide together, combining to create larger atoms and releasing tremendous amounts of harvestable energy. However, there are many theoretical, mathematical, and practical roadblocks to creating a stable fusion experiment. One practical limitation and one mathematical limitation are as follows: practically, much of the energy used to create a fusion-grade plasma ends up in the kinetic energy of the electrons and is lost to the experiment; mathematically, …
Dual Species Magneto-Optical Trap, Daniel Woodbury, Scott Bergeson
Dual Species Magneto-Optical Trap, Daniel Woodbury, Scott Bergeson
Journal of Undergraduate Research
In the last several decades, laser cooling has become the primary tool for atomic research and, in our lab, has facilitated the study of ultracold plasma. Using a novel laser cooling setup, we created a vacuum chamber and related hardware for a dual species magneto-optical trap (MOT). The design of the MOT will allow us to improve trapping efficiency and atom density in our plasma, better understand laser cooling and trapping of calcium and ytterbium, and probe their interactions in ultracold hetero-nuclear plasma.