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High-Flux Ultracold-Atom Chip Interferometers

Award Information
Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Branch: N/A
Contract: NNX12CE57P
Agency Tracking Number: 114316
Amount: $124,940.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: S1.10
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2011
Award Year: 2012
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2012-02-13
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2012-08-13
Small Business Information
1600 Range Street Suite 103
Boulder, CO -
United States
DUNS: 800608643
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Daniel Farkas
 Principal Investigator
 (303) 440-1284
 daniel.farkas@coldquanta.com
Business Contact
 Rainer Kunz
Title: President
Phone: (303) 440-1284
Email: rainer.kunz@coldquanta.com
Research Institution
 Stub
Abstract

ColdQuanta's ultimate objective is to produce a compact, turnkey, ultracold-atom system specifically designed for performing interferometry with Bose-Einstein condensates. To produce ultracold-atom-based devices (e.g. inertial sensors, magnetometers, clocks, etc.) that can compete with existing technologies, higher fluxes and/or faster production rates will be needed over current state-of-the-art techniques.In this Phase I work effort, ColdQuanta will address this need for greater fluxes by investigating two approaches toward developing high-flux compact BEC-producing systems. The first approach targets systems that utilize ColdQuanta's RuBECi vacuum cell and its proven success at the heart of the world's smallest, fastest-producing, ultracold atom systems. Using numerical optimization, we will improve the speed and efficiency (i.e. reduce atom loss) of several key production steps, including faster trap loading from a cold-atom source and more efficient atom transfer between magnetic traps.In the second, higher payoff approach, we will investigate implementation of assembly-line production of BECs using vacuum cell construction that allows each stage of production to occur simultaneously throughout a series of interconnected vacuum chambers. The resulting system would create ultracold atoms quasi-continuously and increase production rates by virtually eliminating dead time between sequential operating cycles.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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