Zeeman slowing of thulium atoms.
We demonstrate laser slowing of a hot thulium atomic beam using the nearly closed cycling transition 4f(13)6s(2)((2)F(o))(J=7/2)<-->4f(12)((3)H(5))5d(3/2)6s(2)(J=9/2) at 410.6 nm. Atoms are decelerated to velocities around 25 m/s by a 40 cm Zeeman slower. The flux of slowed atoms is evaluated as 10(7) s(-1)cm(-2). The experiment explicitly indicates the possibility of trapping Tm atoms in a magneto-optical trap.
P. N. Lebedev Physics Institute, Leninsky Prospekt 53, Moscow 119991, Russia.
K
K
Chebakov
A
A
Sokolov
A
A
Akimov
D
D
Sukachev
S
S
Kanorsky
N
N
Kolachevsky
V
V
Sorokin