We demonstrate a method to enhance the atom loading rate of a ytterbium (Yb) magneto-optic trap (MOT) operating on the 556 nm 1S0 → 3P1 intercombination transition (narrow linewidth Γg = 2π × 182 kHz). Following traditional Zeeman slowing of an atomic beam near the 399 nm 1S0 → 1P1 transition (broad linewidth Γp = 2π × 29 MHz), two laser beams in a crossed-beam geometry, frequency tuned near the same transition, provide additional slowing immediately prior to the MOT. Using this technique, we observe an improvement by a factor of 6 in the atom loading rate of a narrow-line Yb MOT. The relative simplicity and generality of this approach make it readily adoptable to other experiments involving narrow-line MOTs. We also present a numerical simulation of this two-stage slowing process, which shows good agreement with the observed dependence on experimental parameters, and use it to assess potential improvements to the method.

中文翻译：

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交叉束减速以增强窄线镱磁光陷阱

我们展示了一种提高镱 (Yb) 磁光陷阱 (MOT) 原子加载率的方法，该陷阱在 556 nm 1S0 → 3P1 复合跃迁（窄线宽 Γg = 2π × 182 kHz）上运行。继 399 nm 1S0 → 1P1 跃迁（宽线宽 Γp = 2π × 29 MHz）附近原子束的传统塞曼减速之后，交叉光束几何形状中的两束激光束，在同一跃迁附近调谐频率，在紧接之前提供额外的减速交通部。使用这种技术，我们观察到窄线 Yb MOT 的原子负载率提高了 6 倍。这种方法的相对简单性和通用性使其很容易适用于涉及窄线 MOT 的其他实验。我们还提供了这个两阶段减速过程的数值模拟，