Magneto-Optical Trap Assembly for Cold Rubidium Quantum Filtering Applications

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Abstract:: An innate filtering problem in GQuEST (Gravity from the Quantum Entanglement of Space
Time) arises from shot noise in the projective readout of weak, high-frequency, stochastic
space-time fluctuations that lie beyond LIGO s current sensitivity range. To address this,
the RbQ project is developing a system that uses a 2D- and 3D-magneto-optical trap (MOT)
setup to cool and trap rubidium atoms into atomic clouds that can be transported and used as
tunable optical filters for enhanced signal detection. To drive the desired atomic transition
in rubidium, 780 nm light was produced via second-harmonic generation in a waveguide,
followed by alignment through a free-space and fiber-based optical setup. Laser frequency
stabilization was achieved using the Pound-Drever-Hall locking technique, using a rubidium
vapor cell as a frequency reference. This work advances the use of cold atom-based quantum
filters in next generation gravitational wave detectors, enabling improved projective readout
and more sensitive detection of low SNR, high-frequency, signals beyond LIGO s current
range.

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LIGO Document T2500320-v1