Ultracold Atom Research Using a UHV Chamber at Greiner Lab

“The behavior of ultracold atoms in optical lattices is similar to that of electrons in solids. Because of that, ultracold atoms can provide clean realizations of models from condensed matter which can be studied in a highly controlled environment.”

– https://greiner.physics.harvard.edu/index.html

In 2009, Markus Greiner demonstrated a quantum gas microscope (in the UHV environment), where each site of the optical lattice can be resolved. For the first time, researchers could directly image the physical patterns that emerge in the atom arrangement as they interact within the lattice. Currently, there are nearly a dozen such quantum gas microscopes studying Rubidium, Lithium, Potassium, and Ytterbium.

“The goal of the new apparatus is to extend this previous work to the element Erbium, which is highly magnetic and quite sensitive to magnetic fields. So our vacuum chamber is to be produced from extremely low permeability 316LN stainless steel. With such low permeability, the material will experience very little hysteresis, leading to a stable magnetic field.”

– Susannah Dickerson, Greiner Lab, Harvard University

Applied Vacuum, experts in UHV housing design, is producing the critical UHV vacuum chamber system components using 316LN ESR material for all flanges and UHV housings, and 316L for port tubes. The welded assemblies will be vacuum heat-treated to remove magnetism which results from machining and welding. The goal being to have the lowest possible magnetic permeability for the completed vacuum chamber.

316LN-ESR Stainless Steel is produced using an electro-slag refinement process. Flanges manufactured from 316LN material have superior properties when compared to 304 and 316 SS versions, including very low magnetic permeability.

Applied Vacuum Technology has more than 25 years experience fabricating custom UHV flanges, UHV Housing assemblies and UHV chambers for specialized vacuum applications. All products are fabricated and inspected to critical UHV standards. Our manufacturing and quality systems are certified to ISO 9001:2008 and Nuclear Quality Assurance (NQA-1).