Optically-heated atomic sources for compact ion traps

The drive towards scalable ion trap systems for quantum technology applications places an increasing imperative on compact and reliable subsystems with low power consumption and simple construction, particularly for vacuum-side components. We present a design for an efficient, optically-heated atomic oven, which produces a beam of calcium atoms of suitable for rapid ion loading with modest requirements on heating laser power, easily satisfied by inexpensive diode lasers. In comparison with Joule heated ovens, the absence of low-resistance electrical connections permits excellent thermal isolation of the source, reducing energy delivered to the surrounding system during loading and making the source suitable for use in miniaturised or cryogenic vacuum systems.

We also describe recent efforts to further reduce the size of the source, while also greatly decreasing the energy required to load a single ion, both through increases in thermal efficiency and via improved collimation of the emitted atomic beam. Our aim is to produce optically-heated ovens of sufficiently small size, power consumption and net flux to be integrated directly within monolithic ion traps, and operated continuously with negligible impact on vacuum quality or ion lifetime.