Continuous accumulation of cold atoms in an optical cavity

article Continuous accumulation of cold atoms in an optical cavity published yes Edward-Fulbright Gheorghita author e664a051-133f-11ed-8f02-a05999ad0822 Sebastian Wald author 133F200A-B015-11E9-AD41-0EDAE56974250000-0002-5869-1604 Andrea Pupić author ef9c50a4-5335-11ef-8b9b-8ce03e6380ed Onur Hosten author 4C02D85E-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A870000-0002-2031-204X OnHo department GradSch department A quantum hybrid of atoms and milligram-scale pendulums: towards gravitational quantum mechanics project Continuously operating atom-light interfaces represent a key prerequisite for steady-state quantum sensors and efficient quantum processors. Here, we demonstrate continuous accumulation of sub-Doppler-cooled atoms in a shallow intracavity dipole trap, realizing this regime. The key ingredient is a light-shift manipulation that creates spatially varying cooling parameters, enabling efficient capture and accumulation of atoms within a cavity mode. Demonstrated with rubidium atoms, a continuous flux from a source cell is funneled through the magneto-optical trap into the cavity mode, where the atoms are cooled and maintained below 10µK in steady state without time-sequenced operation. We characterize the resulting continuously maintained ensemble of millions of atoms and its collective coupling to the cavity field, establishing a route toward continuously operated cavity-QED systems and long-duration atomic and hybrid quantum sensors. https://research-explorer.ista.ac.at/download/22642/22643/2026_PhysicalReviewA_Gheorghita.pdf application/pdfno American Physical Society2026 eng Physical Review A 2469-9926 2469-9934 2512.1452810.1103/71f2-sq4p 1142 E.-F. Gheorghita, S. Wald, A. Pupić, O. Hosten, Physical Review A 114 (2026). Gheorghita, E.-F., Wald, S., Pupić, A., & Hosten, O. (2026). Continuous accumulation of cold atoms in an optical cavity. Physical Review A. American Physical Society. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1103/71f2-sq4p">https://doi.org/10.1103/71f2-sq4p</a> Gheorghita E-F, Wald S, Pupić A, Hosten O. Continuous accumulation of cold atoms in an optical cavity. Physical Review A. 2026;114(2). doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1103/71f2-sq4p">10.1103/71f2-sq4p</a> Gheorghita, Edward-Fulbright, Sebastian Wald, Andrea Pupić, and Onur Hosten. “Continuous Accumulation of Cold Atoms in an Optical Cavity.” Physical Review A. American Physical Society, 2026. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1103/71f2-sq4p">https://doi.org/10.1103/71f2-sq4p</a>. Gheorghita E-F, Wald S, Pupić A, Hosten O. 2026. Continuous accumulation of cold atoms in an optical cavity. Physical Review A. 114(2), 023302. Gheorghita, Edward-Fulbright, et al. “Continuous Accumulation of Cold Atoms in an Optical Cavity.” Physical Review A, vol. 114, no. 2, 023302, American Physical Society, 2026, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1103/71f2-sq4p">10.1103/71f2-sq4p</a>. E.-F. Gheorghita, S. Wald, A. Pupić, and O. Hosten, “Continuous accumulation of cold atoms in an optical cavity,” Physical Review A, vol. 114, no. 2. American Physical Society, 2026. 226422026-08-04T05:58:23Z2026-08-04T06:07:20Z