Summer 2006
Galo Lopez '07 investigated the microwave modulation of diode lasers at 3GHz and how it depends on cavity length. We currently use this for creating the repumping light for Rb-85 but have had difficulty with the 6GHz modulation needed for Rb-87. Understanding the characteristics of the frequency and cavity dependence will help us to succeed with this.

Spring 2006
I was on Sabbatical leave at Swinburne University in Melbourne, Australia, working with Prof. Peter Hannaford's research group. I investigated the magnetic fields produced by thin magnetic films, particularly the effect of undesired randomness in the magnetization. Some of this work is described in the preprint Effect of Magnetization Inhomogeneity on Magnetic Microtraps for Atoms.

Fall 2005
We overhauled our MOT diode laser and installed new MOT coils after a melt-down of the old coil forms. Also an overhaul of our lab HVAC system! :( Hieu Phan '07 worked on creating an absolute frequency reference for our laser based on a Kr discharge lamp and a grating spectrometer. Writing up results from earlier work with Greg Weston '05 on magnetic sample preparation, "Analysis of nanoscale magnetic patterns by laser diffraction".

Summer 2005
Hieu Phan '07 installed our new, more sensitive, CCD camera from Theta-System, Gmbh. This will allow us to see even faint signals from diffracted atom clouds.

Summer 2004
Greg Weston '05 measured the magnetic transition spacings on several varieties of Zip disks, for use as diffraction gratings for atoms. Greg also carried out computer modelling of thermal atom scattering from magnetic media.
Matt McLaughlin '05 measured the optical throughput of two commercial video lenses and built a custom lens, all to better quantitatively determine the fluorescence level and number of atoms in an atomic sample. Matt and Greg also did testing of an improved version of our Rb atomic beam.

Summer 2003
Mark Umphrey '05 and Dwayne Hencelwood '04 developed a high-speed camera system to view the expansion of compressed clouds of atoms near absolute zero. They gathered information on the size and temperature of the atomic gas, which will be important in our planned atomic scattering experiments.

We also continued work on our rubidium beam, described in Novel rubidium atomic beam with an alkali dispenser source .

Summer 2002
Dwayne Hencelwood '04 and  Brad Schuller '03 continued work on rubidium atoms during the summer.  Dwayne built a novel prototype atomic beam (see article above) and Brad learned how to run the MOT while also working on atom diffraction calculations with Prof. Janine Shertzer.