Compact magneto-optical sources of slow atoms

Three different configurations of compact magneto-optical sources of slow 87Rb atoms (LVIS, 2D+-MOT and 2D-MOT) were compared with each other at fixed geometry of cooling laser beams. A precise control of the intensity balances between the four separate transverse cooling laser beams provided a total continuous flux of cold atoms from the LVIS and 2D+-MOT sources about 8 × 109 atoms/s at total laser power of 60 mW. The flux was measured directly from the loading rate of a 3D-MOT, placed 34 cm downstream from the sources. Average velocities of the cooled atomic beam for the LVIS and 2D+-MOT sources were about 8.5 and 11 m/s, respectively. An essential advantage of the compact magneto-optical sources is that their background flux of thermal atoms is two to three orders of the magnitude smaller than the flux of slow atoms.