A narrow-line MOT of titanium

Laser cooled transition metal atoms have recently emerged as a new tool for cold atomic physics, with potential applications in the study of quantum gasses with spin-orbit coupling and precision optical metrology. We build upon our previous work realizing a magneto-optical trap (MOT) of titanium atoms, by implementing a second stage of cooling that uses a narrow optical transition (λ = 1039.9 nm, Γ = 2𝜋 ⨉ 11.3 kHz). After describing our spectroscopy to accurately measure the atomic transition, we present the results of the narrow line MOT for three I=0 bosonic isotopes of titanium. Compared to the broad MOT, the narrow-line MOT reduces the temperature of the atoms to <10 µK. By measuring the lifetime of the atoms in the MOT, we constrain loss mechanisms such as the branching ratio to metastable states and the two-body loss coefficient. Finally, we present an outlook of how these atoms could be spin-polarized and loaded into an optical dipole trap, serving as the basis for the realization of a quantum gas of titanium atoms.