A joint research group led by Professor Hidetoshi Katori has successfully developed the world’s first continuous atom source in which laser-cooled atoms are drawn out by moving optical lattices and further output by a second intersecting optical lattice to change the direction of motion. It has been difficult to perform high-precision quantum measurement simultaneously with laser cooling because the light generated in the laser cooling process disturbs the quantum state of the unmeasured atoms. The new method enables measurement without wasting time, leading to higher precision in optical lattice clocks. The resulting paper was published in the online edition of the international scientific journal “Physical Review Applied” on March 5.
[Link]