Abstract:
This thesis focuses on the construction of an atom trapping system utilising a hybrid trap setup to create a Bose-Einstein Condensate. The system involves a three chamber system, consisting of two magneto-optical traps for initial atom trapping and a science chamber to create and observe a BEC. The alkali metal of choice used in this experiment is ⁸⁷Rb, as it possesses favourable properties to create a BEC. A combination of Zeeman modulation frequency stabilisation and polarisation spectroscopy is used to lock our external-cavity diode laser into the right transition frequency and a tiny open-hardware called a Beaglebone is used to remotely access these controls. Beaglebones are also utilised for a double pass configuration of acousto-optic modulators for their convenient remote access which ultimately becomes the primary parameter for troubleshooting the optical part of the experiment. A standard push beam, with a much lower intensity compared to the MOT beams, is pulsed to transport the atoms from the first MOT chamber to the second MOT chamber. By moving the atom cloud to a much lower atmosphere (≈ 10⁻¹¹Torr), we are able to create a bigger atom cloud with a lower temperature which is essential in creating a BEC.